


Mirror Mirror

by dbw



Series: The Emerald Tablet [4]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-27
Updated: 2009-11-27
Packaged: 2017-10-03 20:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 62,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dbw/pseuds/dbw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the <i>Emerald Tablet</i> alternate universe, this story takes place after <i>Jewel of the Hellmouth.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted December 2000
> 
> Set in the spring of Season 4 of BtVS, this story incorporates some aspects of the actual events in Season 4 if they are appropriate. Serious divergence from the series after the episode _Wild at Heart_:
> 
> 1\. Xander has enrolled in community college for the spring semester
> 
> 2\. Giles has finally given up his "gentleman of leisure" status to be a part-time lecturer in Anthropology at UCS teaching 2 sections of "Witchcraft, Magic, and the Occult in Ancient Civilizations"
> 
> 3\. _Harsh Light of Day_ didn't happen
> 
> 4\. Oblique reference to _Wild at Heart_. Serious divergence starting after _Wild at Heart_, thus no Buffy/Riley dating, no Initiative, no Adam, no Tara, but most of all -- Oz is still part of the group.
> 
> 5\. Spoiler for Angel episode _Hero._

Buffy felt something hard under her cheek and opened her eyes to a sideways view of green grass. She was lying on a park bench, with the sun high in the sky and a cool breeze stirring the branches of the surrounding trees. Disoriented, she sat up. A wave of dizziness washed over her and she dropped forward to put her head between her knees until it passed.

The park was nearly deserted, only a few people sat on the grass or walked along the paths. Buffy looked down at herself and frowned. She was wearing a micro-mini skirt, tight tank top, and leather jacket. Her book bag sat on the ground next to the bench. The last thing she remembered was sitting at Giles' place late at night, talking to him about something. It was after her patrol and she'd been wearing baggy pants and a sweatshirt. She couldn't remember clearly what they'd been discussing, just that she'd been upset about something.

How had she wound up on a park bench in the middle of the day, dressed like this? And why couldn't she remember anything? She picked up the book bag and opened it, surprised to find a couple of textbooks and a lot of makeup, but no stakes or holy water. Maybe the bag belonged to someone else. She opened one of the textbooks, saw her name printed prominently across the inside cover and sighed.

The portable cosmetic counter bothered her, but it didn't disturb her half as much as the lack of slaying instruments. She never went anywhere without a mini-arsenal. She patted herself down in her favorite weapon hiding locations and found nothing. She swallowed nervously and tried not to panic. Giles, she thought. Giles will know what to do.

Buffy bolted off the bench and headed for campus and Giles' office. On her way there she fearfully realized that she didn't even know what day it was or whether he'd be there. She had to force herself to slow down and think rationally. Giles would either be there or he wouldn't. If he wasn't there, then she'd just go to her dorm room and call him at his place. At the very least she'd be able to leave him a message. And then she'd just sit tight until he contacted her.

The panic and fear began to recede. She always felt better when she had a plan to follow. The campus quad bustled with students, so it must be a weekday she thought. She looked across to the Anthropology building and frowned. It looked different somehow. Like it was bigger than she remembered. She shook her head and decided she'd never really looked at the building before and that her residual fear must be making her hyper aware of things.

Buffy strode forward confidently only to be stopped halfway across the quad by a hand on her arm. She was pulled around to come face to face with a frowning Brian Callahan. She sighed and thought, not this, not now.

"Buffy! Didn't you hear me calling you? What's the matter with you?" Brian's grip tightened on her arm.

She raised an eyebrow. He hadn't spoken to her since she'd told him to get out of Giles' apartment the night that she'd faced the Destroyer. What was his deal now?

"Was there something you wanted, Brian?" Her voice was polite but cold and she smiled in satisfaction when he dropped her arm and recoiled from her in surprise.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked harshly. "You know I don't like having to chase after you."

"Chase after me?" she asked. "Who asked you to?"

He shook his head in exasperation. "I don't know what game you're playing, but I'm warning you, I don't like it. I wanted to remind you that we're going to the Department party at Dr. Johnson's house tonight at 6:30. We'll have to leave by 6:00. Make sure you're ready on time. You know how I hate being late. And remember that it's black tie." Brian turned on his heel and walked away toward the Math building.

Buffy stood in the middle of the quad and watched him, her mouth hanging open in shock. The man had obviously lost his grip on reality, she thought. How could he possibly think she'd agree to go anywhere with him? And he seemed to think she'd already accepted this invitation. She shook her head. This was getting too weird. Definitely past time for Giles to sort this out. She turned and headed once again for the Anthro building.

She got off the elevator at the third floor and walked down the hall to Giles' office. She was about to grab the doorknob when she glanced at the door and stopped. The nameplate read 'Steven Andrews'. Buffy glanced up and down the hall thinking she'd made a mistake. She shook her head, positive this was Giles' office.

She stood rooted to the floor, her mind whirling with the possibilities and trying to decide what to do next. The office door opened revealing a man she'd never seen before. He barreled out of the office right into Buffy and knocked her to the floor.

"I'm so sorry," he exclaimed. "I didn't see you there. Guess I was just in too much of a hurry." He reached a hand down to help her up. "Were you waiting to see me? Was there something I can do for you?"

Buffy looked up at him dazedly. "I-I'm looking for Giles. Um, Rupert Giles?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, but Dr. Giles hasn't arrived yet." He peered down at her and smiled. "Are you familiar with the doctor's work? I'm Professor Andrews, by the way."

"D-Dr. Giles?" Since when did Giles use a 'doctor' in front of his name, she wondered? "What do you mean, he hasn't arrived yet?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm on my way to pick him up at the airport. If you wouldn't mind walking out with me so I won't be late? I always try to make time for students." He looked at her hopefully.

Numbly she nodded and followed him down the hall to the elevator. Once the doors closed he turned to her.

"Now. What was it you wanted to know?" he asked.

She took a steadying breath. "You said you had to pick him up at the airport?"

"Yes. His plane arrives in an hour. It's so exciting having a guest lecturer of his caliber, isn't it? I know we've had other high profile speakers in the past, but I'm particularly fascinated by his work on occult beliefs in world cultures."

"Guest lecturer?" she managed to squeak out. "Oh, yeah. Um, I find his work fascinating, too. A fan. That's me." Oh god, she thought bleakly, I'm in real trouble.

"Then I take it you have your ticket for his lecture tonight? I understand it's sold out. Quite exciting. He'll only be in town a few days and I believe his schedule is full." He smiled again, a twinkle in his eyes.

She had to get to Giles, she thought desperately. She assumed a solemn expression. "Actually, no. I was too late to get a ticket. I don't suppose there's any way that I can get into the lecture, is there? It would mean so much to me. Could you possibly help? I mean, as one fan to another?" She gave him her most guileless smile.

The elevator doors opened and he gestured her out before him. He grinned. "Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint a true fan. As it happens, I have a few discretionary tickets that I haven't given out." He opened his wallet and pulled out three or four tickets. He flipped through them until he found the one he wanted and handed it to her. "Here you go. The best seat in the lecture room. Front row center."

Buffy clutched the ticket as if it was a life preserver. "Thank you," she said fervently. "I can't tell you how much this means to me."

He shook his head and smiled. "That's okay. Enjoy the lecture." He gave her a little half-salute and turned, whistling as he walked away.

Buffy looked down at the ticket in her hand and shivered. The date and time said Friday at 6:30pm. Her memory from Giles' place was on Wednesday night. God, what had happened? Was she still in her world, or was this some kind of sick alternate reality? That would explain Brian Callahan at least, and the other strange things that were happening. Apprehensively she wondered what else was different.

The clock above the exit read 4:00. Time enough to find out if her dorm room was the same and if Willow was still her roommate. She forced herself to walk calmly from the building and head toward her dorm. The second floor looked the same, she thought as she approached the door to her room. She stood there indecisively for several moments before she finally took a deep breath and turned the knob.

Disappointment stabbed at her. The room was different. Only half of it was occupied and the unoccupied half looked bare, almost sterile. Buffy examined the occupied portion of the room looking for anything that she could recognize as belonging to her. She released a pent up breath in a whoosh of relief when she spotted Mr. Gordo half hidden by a pillow on the bed. This had to be her room, she thought. But where was Willow?

She quickly rifled through the dresser drawers looking for anything that would tell her what was happening to her. The only thing she found were clothes that she didn't recognize. The closet held more clothes, but no weapons locker. She frowned. The clothes in the closet, and the dresser for that matter, resembled the outfit she currently wore. They weren't at all to her taste. It wasn't just that the skirts and dresses were short and appeared tight, or that the tops were all skimpy. She'd worn outfits just as short in the past, but there was a difference in the clothes that hung in the closet. There was nothing subtle about the styles. It was as if she'd gone out of her way to only choose clothes that would look sexy and cheap. Tramp was the word that came to mind.

Buffy flopped down on the bed, hugged Mr. Gordo to her chest and stared unseeing at the ceiling. The thought of calling her mother sent shivers down her spine. She turned her head and saw an address book on the nightstand. Hesitantly she reached out and picked it up. She flipped through the pages quickly and noted that there were multiple entries on every page, mostly of names of people she didn't recognize.

Slowly she sat up and opened the book to the R's and nearly cried. No entry for Willow Rosenberg. Nor was there an entry for Xander under the H's.

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and was dismayed to see it read 5:30. She'd have to get a move on if she wanted to get to the lecture on time. There was no way she was going to meet Giles in her current outfit and she needed a shower. Her mind shied away from the idea that this Giles wouldn't know her. It couldn't be a coincidence that he was arriving in Sunnydale now, she told herself firmly.

She searched through the closet for something a little less streetwalker-ish and finally found a pair of jeans hidden far in the rear. They'd been washed so many times they felt like soft suede. She pulled them out along with a pair of black boots. She found an acceptable T-shirt in the dresser along with clean underwear, picked up a towel and headed for the bathroom.

Buffy was back in 15 minutes, dressed in her new outfit. The cosmetics she dumped out of her book bag joined even more on the dresser top. She dried her hair and put on minimal makeup. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 6:00. She smiled to herself in satisfaction. Maybe if she got to the lecture early she'd be able to talk to Giles first. She grabbed the black leather jacket and opened the door.

Brian Callahan stood in the doorway dressed in a tuxedo with his hand outstretched as if reaching for the doorknob. His gaze raked her from head to foot and his bland expression turned into a scowl. He walked into the room forcing her to step back or be run over, leaving the door wide open.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" He said angrily. "We have to leave for the party and you're not even dressed yet! Damn it, I told you not to make me late."

"I'm not going," she said as calmly as she could. "So you won't be late. You can just leave right now." And the sooner the better, she thought.

"Sure, and let Phillips spend the rest of the evening making cracks about how I was stood up. Stop being absurd and get changed."

"I so don't need this right now," she replied. "I'm not going to any stupid party with you."

He grabbed her arms and jerked her close. His voice was cold and controlled. "You're not going to make a fool of me. I've told you how I feel about that."

"You're doing a good enough job on your own." Buffy didn't see the slap coming until the force of it rocked her head back. She glared at him.

"You know I hate hitting you. Why do you continually make me do that?"

"You bastard!" she said, her voice low and dangerous. She saw the smug expression in his eyes and narrowed her own in response.

Buffy suddenly dropped like a dead weight, pulling Brian down with her, twisting so that she landed on her back. She lifted with her legs and pushed Brian up and over to crash on the floor behind her on his back. She jumped up, grabbed her jacket and backed out of the room.

"I don't ever want to see you here again," she said angrily. "If I do, the least that'll happen to you is that I call campus security. God, you're a jerk in two realities. Who knew?" She turned and gaped at the clapping students lining the hallway. There were various calls of 'way to go' and 'about time you told him off'. Buffy had the distinct impression that this wasn't the first incident with Brian in her room.

"Buffy? Want Stan and me to, uh, escort him out?"

She gazed up at the guy who asked the question and found herself grinning. He and his friend were big and burly and looked like they could tie Brian Callahan into a pretzel.

She nodded. "Thanks! I gotta run."

"No problem. We'll have this little mess cleaned up before you get back." He smiled and turned to her door.

Buffy sprinted down the stairs and headed across campus for the lecture hall. She managed to make it with ten minutes to spare. The room was nearly full and she glanced around curiously. She found her assigned seat and saw a familiar red head sitting only three seats away. Buffy approached the man sitting next to her.

"I know this is gonna sound strange, but would you be willing to swap seats with me? I have the seat right over there." Buffy pointed to her vacant seat.

The man looked over at the seat and shrugged. "Sure."

They swapped tickets. Buffy took off her jacket and sat down. "Willow! Am I glad to see you!"

Willow turned and looked at her curiously. "I'm sorry. Have we met?"

"It's me, Buffy. Buffy Summers?" She swallowed her disappointment. "W-we went to high school together?"

Willow's eyes widened. "Oh. I remember you. Didn't you hang out with Cordelia?"

"Um, yeah." Great. Hanging with Cordelia in high school. Dating a guy that thought it was okay to hit her. Her best friend didn't know her. Could this life be more depressing? "Listen. There's something I've wanted to tell you. I want to apologize for how I treated you in high school. I was probably really mean to you and I just want you to know that I regret it. I'm sorry we didn't have a chance to get to know each other then, but I'd like to now. I really think we could be friends. Please?" She held out her hand and prayed that Willow wouldn't turn away.

Various emotions played over Willow's face, not the least of which was distrust, but she finally grasped Buffy's hand. "Okay," she said hesitantly.

"Great! So, are you a fan of Gi-, I mean Dr. Giles?" Buffy kept her voice light and friendly.

Willow smiled. "Well, I don't know that I'd call myself a fan, but I did find his work on magic beliefs in ancient cultures fascinating. I'm looking forward to hearing his lecture. Do you think he'll allow questions? Not that I'd ask anything. I mean I'd be too nervous to actually do that. But I'm sure people will ask interesting questions. Then his answers will be fascinating. And am I the single most pathetic person you've ever met?"

Buffy chuckled and shook her head. "Not at all. And I'm sure any question you'd ask would be of more interest to Dr. Giles than anything anyone else here would think to ask."

Willow ducked her head and smiled shyly. "Thanks. But I couldn't ask a question in front of all these people. You have to actually speak to ask a question. If I stood up and tried to do that nothing would come out."

"Well, I'm sure we'll have a chance to talk to him later," Buffy said more confidently than she felt.

Willow raised her eyebrow. "Why do--"

The lights dimmed slightly to let everyone know the lecture was about to begin. The crowd settled into their seats and the noise level dropped. Professor Andrews stepped up to the podium and spoke into the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending this evening. It is the Anthropology Department's honor and my pleasure to introduce our guest speaker for this evening, Dr. Rupert Giles." He turned and led off the polite applause as Giles entered the room from the side.

Buffy felt her mouth drop open. She'd expected Giles to appear clad in tweed like he'd worn when he'd worked as the high school librarian. She barely recognized the man who stood beside the podium and surveyed the room with a rakish grin on his face.

He was dressed in black. Not scruffy black jeans and a T-shirt, but well cut black slacks that broke just so over his spotless black leather shoes. An expensive looking tailored black jacket that looked like cashmere and a collarless shirt that might be raw silk completed his outfit. His hair was longer in the back than she ever remembered having seen it, curling over the collar of his jacket. He wasn't wearing glasses. And to top it all off, Buffy could see the glint of a gold ring in his ear. The man standing before them exuded an air of self-confidence and danger.

If nothing else that she'd experienced in the last few hours could convince her that she was not in her own world, Giles' appearance did. She tuned out his words, hearing only the cadence of his speech as it washed over her soothingly. She found herself wondering about this world and the people in it. Was this what her Giles would have been like if he hadn't been a Watcher? And Willow? This Willow was as shy now as her Willow had been when they'd first met almost four years ago. And what about Xander and Oz? Where were they and what were they like?

With a start Buffy realized that the lecture was over and Giles was answering questions from the audience. She turned to Willow and smiled to herself at the anxious expression on the redhead's face as she followed the questions and his answers closely. Finally, Giles raised a hand and stopped the barrage. He thanked them all for coming and turned away to the sound of applause.

Buffy reached for Willow's hand and stood up, pulling the other girl with her. "Come on. If we're quick we can catch him before he leaves." She moved towards the exit, dragging a protesting Willow behind her.

She wasn't the only one with that idea. There was a circle of people three deep around Giles and Professor Andrews by the time they reached them. Buffy tried to find an opening and maintain her hold on Willow at the same time. Frustrated, she stepped back and glanced at the redhead.

"We'll just wait here until the crowd thins. Then we'll make our move."

"Um, not that I'm not grateful or anything, but why exactly are we doing this?" Willow sounded puzzled.

"You want to ask him some questions, right?" Buffy asked innocently. "I'm sure he'd love to hear them. You don't want an audience, so we'll wait."

"It's really not nece--"

"Look, they're shooing everyone away. Now's our chance." Buffy tugged Willow over to stand in front of Giles. "Dr. Giles? Hi, I'm B--"

"Sorry ladies, but I don't have time right now." He dismissed them with a glance and a casual smile and turned away.

"Oh really," she drawled. Her friends would have recognized the dangerous look that crossed Buffy's face. She called out to his retreating back. "Hey Ripper! Do you still bear the mark of Eyghon?" She smiled smugly when he whirled back to face them.

He advanced on them, his expression causing Willow to cower behind Buffy. He stopped close enough to invade Buffy's personal space and stared down at her. "What did you call me?" His voice was low and angry.

"Ripper?" She grinned up at him. "Heard from Ethan lately?"

He made a strangled noise and glanced over his shoulder at Professor Andrews before turning back to her. "I don't know who you are, but--"

She held up her hands. "I had to get your attention. I need to talk to you. By the way, do you still have the mark?" She watched him place his hand over the spot on his arm where the tattoo would be and shake his head.

"Good," she said softly. "Neither do I." She watched his eyes widen and then he appeared to come to a decision.

Giles turned to Professor Andrews. "Steven, I need to speak with these ladies. Why don't you go on to the dinner and I'll meet you there?"

Andrews frowned. "I really hate to do that. Are you sure you don't want me to wait?"

He shook his head. "No. It's not necessary. Please? I'll take a cab once we've concluded our business."

Andrews shrugged. "Okay. Here, I'll write down the restaurant for you." He handed him a slip of paper.

Giles pocketed the address and smiled. "Thank you. I shan't be long." He watched Andrews leave the room before turning back to Buffy and Willow. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Now. What do you want?"

Buffy swallowed. "It's a long story and I don't know that you're going to believe me, but you have to. I don't belong here. This isn't my world. I don't know how it happened, but I'm in some sort of alternate reality or something. I just woke up here a few hours ago."

"Uh-huh." He pursed his lips. "You're right. I don't believe you. Nice chatting you, but I believe I'll see if I can catch my colleague."

"Did Randall die when you summoned Eyghon? 'Cause he did in my Giles' past." She hated to bring that up, but she was desperate to have his help.

"How do you know about Eyghon? And Ethan? And Ripper? Who are you really?" His voice was harsh.

"I told you," she said softly. "I'm from a different world or reality or dimension or something. You'll know which. And my Giles told me about Ripper. And Eyghon and Randall. I've met Ethan, and I'm sorry to say I let him live."

"You keep saying 'your Giles'. I don't understand." He frowned. "And Randall's very much alive."

Buffy closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. But I need you to believe me. I need your help to get home. Won't you just hear me out?" She gazed at him with the full force of her desperation and fear in her eyes.

He studied her face for a few moments in silence and then nodded once. "Very well. I'll listen to your story. At least it has the novelty of being something different. I've never been one for stuffy dinners anyway. If you'll suggest someplace where we can get a bite, I'll give you until the end of dinner to convince me."

"Deal." She smiled at Willow. "You may get to ask some of those questions after all."

Willow gazed at her wide-eyed. "Oh, no. I should just let you two go on. Y-you don't need me there." She started backing away until Buffy grabbed her hand firmly.

"Don't be silly, Will. Of course I need you there." She held onto Willow's hand firmly and refused to let go.

Buffy suggested a cafe in a part of town away from the fancy restaurant where Giles was supposed to meet the Anthropology staff and the three headed outside to call a cab.

The cafe was small and nearly empty. They sat in a booth away from the other diners. Buffy tried to appear calm as they examined the menu and placed their orders. Once the waiter left the table Giles turned his piercing gaze on her.

Buffy licked her lips nervously and said, "I guess it all began my freshman year of high school in L.A. The day Merrick found me and told me about my destiny..."


	2. Chapter 2

"No. She's barricaded herself in the bathroom. Just get here as soon as you can. What? Yes, of course, bring Xander along as well. Thank you Willow." Giles spoke calmly but his voice betrayed his concern. He hung up the phone and stared down at it blankly. What else could he do? He raised his head and looked towards the bathroom. Perhaps one more try, he thought and raked his hand through his hair.

He knocked softly on the bathroom door. "Buffy?" he asked. "Are you all right?" He waited for an answer and frowned when none was forthcoming. He knocked a little harder.

"Go away!" she cried tremulously.

"Buffy, please. Let me help you." Giles leaned his forehead against the door, closed his eyes and hoped that Willow and Xander would arrive soon.

"Why? I don't know you!" Her voice caught in a breathless sob. "You want to help me? Tell me how I got here!"

He tried to keep his voice even. "I told you. You walked here, just as you normally do. Now, please, come out of the bathroom."

"No!"

Giles shook his head in frustration. "I can't very well help through the blasted door! Just come out and talk about it."

"N-no," she said.

The sound of low sobs came from behind the door. That tears it, he thought. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. This wasn't the way to handle whatever the hell this was, he knew, but he was fresh out of ideas. The doorbell rang just as he was considering whether he should break the door down.

"Willow. Thank god!" Giles said.

Willow hurried inside followed by Xander. "How is she?" She asked anxiously as she searched his face.

Giles shook his head. "She won't come out of the bathroom. See if you can convince her that she'll be all right if she comes out. I'll wait in the living room. Perhaps if I'm not there it'll make a difference."

Xander frowned. "I don't understand." He followed Willow to the bathroom door.

"That makes two of us," Giles muttered. He sat down on the chair in the living room and turned to face the bathroom.

"Buffy! It's me, Willow. And Xander's here, too."

"Who? Do I know you?" Buffy's voice was hesitant.

"Um, Buffy? That's not funny."

"Yeah. Come on, Buff. Enough with the jokes. Giles already has the willies." Xander glanced over his shoulder at Giles and shrugged.

There was silence from the bathroom for a long moment. In a small voice Buffy said, "I'm not joking. I don't know any of you people. I don't know how I got here."

Willow shared a perplexed look with Xander. "Well, we know you. If you come out maybe we can figure out what's going on."

"Y-you'll stay?"

Willow frowned. "Of course."

"Okay. I'll come out."

The door opened and Buffy stood in front of them. Tears streaked her face. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth and stared at them as if she'd never seen them before.

"You're Willow?" she asked hesitantly.

Willow nodded mutely.

"And I'm Xander. Remember?" Xander asked hopefully.

Buffy shook her head. "No," she said softly.

Willow held out her hand. "Let's go talk to Giles. He'll figure this out."

Buffy stared at Willow's hand for a moment and then slowly held out her own. Willow clasped it and led her to the living room. Buffy hung back behind Willow when she saw Giles.

Giles sighed. He motioned for them to sit on the couch. Buffy made a point of sitting as far away from him as she could. Xander leaned against Giles' desk and crossed his arms.

"What happened?" Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. She sat back further in the corner of the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest. She circled her legs with her arms and hugged them as if to make herself as small as possible and then rested her forehead on her knees.

Giles cleared his throat. "Buffy came over before going out on patrol. We were sitting on the couch and she was telling me about something that she's been experiencing. A strange expression crossed her face and she reached her hand out like she was trying to touch something. Then she stood up screaming, wanting to know where she was and how she'd gotten here. She didn't seem to know me. I'm afraid I must have scared her. She backed away from me and managed to lock herself in the bathroom. I tried to reason with her and when that didn't work I called you."

"There wasn't a big blue flash? A swirling vortex? A cartoon character with a giant cartoon sledgehammer? Anything?" Xander joked anxiously.

Giles raised an eyebrow. "Nothing. One moment we're talking and the next she was screaming." He hesitated.

"What?" Willow asked. "There's something else, isn't there?"

"Perhaps. It has to do with what we were talking about. She was upset. She said she was having trouble with her vision and that she'd told you about it, Willow. I wish she'd come to me earlier."

"The multiple images?"

Giles nodded. "Yes. Except the way she described it to me it didn't sound like double or blurred vision. It sounded more like she was seeing different versions of the same thing." He glanced at Buffy and frowned slightly.

"Like different versions of reality?" Willow asked, wide-eyed.

"Something like that. Buffy? You don't remember any of this?" Giles kept his voice gentle.

She shook her head.

"What do you remember, Buff?" Xander asked.

They turned to Buffy and waited for her to say something. Giles watched her closely. Slowly she raised her head and regarded them fearfully.

"I was on a park bench thinking about taking a nap," she said softly.

"In the middle of the night?" Xander asked incredulously.

"It's daytime." She looked at each of them in turn. "Isn't it?"

Willow shook her head. "It's almost midnight."

Buffy said fervently, "The last thing I remember is sitting on a park bench in the middle of the day. I swear. The next thing I know I'm here on the couch in this place, next to him." She lifted her chin in Giles' direction. "Wearing these awful clothes."

"And you don't remember me or Xander or Giles?" Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. "You and, um, Xander? You guys look kinda familiar, but I definitely don't know him." She looked at Willow curiously. "Did you go to Sunnydale High?"

Willow nodded. She glanced at Giles anxiously. "Yeah. We went there together. We're best friends. And Giles was the school Librarian. You don't remember that?"

Buffy looked confused. "The Librarian was Mrs. Hofler. And my best friend in high school was Cordelia Chase. Now, well, I guess I don't really have a best friend right now. Cordy's going to USC, so I don't see her very often any more. And, well, things are kind of difficult right now..." Her voice trailed off and she looked away.

Xander shot a troubled look at Giles. "I was thinking amnesia, but I thought when you have amnesia you don't remember things. I didn't think you'd remember them differently."

Giles nodded. "I don't believe this is a case of amnesia." He sighed. "Actually, I believe we're dealing with magic."

"A spell is making Buffy think her best friend is Cordelia instead of me?" Willow frowned.

"What kind of crazy spell is that, I ask you?" Xander cracked.

Giles rubbed his chin. "Magic, but not necessarily a spell. I've been observing her. Her reactions are not at all in keeping with Buffy's personality. I don't believe she's our Buffy."

Willow frowned. "You're talking alternate reality, aren't you? Like when my double came here?"

Giles took a deep breath. "Something similar, perhaps. But this isn't about Buffy's double coming into our reality. I believe that Buffy and her double may have switched places."

"While you were talking to her?" Xander asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"And they were wearing the same clothes?" Xander raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know why I'm dressed like this!" Buffy exclaimed. "These clothes are awful. I'd never be caught dead in them!"

Giles shot a wry look at Xander.

"O-K," Xander drawled. "I see what you mean. So they switched somehow, but not their clothes. How weird is that? And there wasn't anything to let you know a switch was taking place. Is that normal?"

Giles snorted. "Normal? How should I know? I don't know what we're dealing with yet."

"You people are crazy!" Buffy blurted out and then clamped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, but you are! Magic? Alternate realities? You've got to be kidding! There's no such thing."

"Would you prefer to believe the alternative? That you can't remember your life or the people in it?" Giles asked quietly. "Believe me, magic is the only answer that doesn't involve the possibility of your having sustained physical or emotional harm of some sort."

"No," she whispered and hid her head in her knees again.

"Giles!" Willow looked at him and frowned. "There's no need to scare her, is there?"

"I don't like this Willow, but she has to understand what's happening. She's the only clue we have to finding our Buffy." Giles rubbed his forehead. "It'll be much easier if we have her cooperation."

"Maybe we should take her home," Willow suggested. "Her mother's back from her buying trip. Maybe she could talk to Buffy. You know?"

Buffy's head jerked up. "M-mother?" Her voice was soft and her eyes wide.

"I'm not sure it would be wise to involve Joyce in this," Giles said. He glanced at Buffy and frowned when he noticed the tears in her eyes. Gently he asked, "What is it?"

She turned her gaze on him and said, "My mother's dead. She died when I was eight."

Giles exchanged a shocked glance with Willow. "I'm sorry. I don't know what to say, really. Our Buffy's mother is quite alive, I assure you."

She closed her eyes and swallowed heavily. "Maybe I am going insane."

"No," Giles said firmly. He had to get through to her somehow, convince her to trust them. "You said there's no such thing as magic. Perhaps if we can prove to you that magic does exist you would believe the other things we've said."

She gazed at him. "Maybe," she said doubtfully.

"Good idea. Something small or something big?" Willow asked eagerly.

"Let's start with something small," he said and smiled. "Perhaps you could demonstrate your pencil technique."

Willow nodded. "Xander? Is there a pencil on the desk?"

Xander turned and shifted some papers until he found a yellow pencil. "Here Will."

"No, leave it there. My control's getting better." Willow grinned. "I love doing this." She gazed into the distance, eyes unfocused.

Giles watched Buffy. She frowned, glanced over at the desk and gasped. Her chin dropped as she watched the yellow pencil hover in the air and then float delicately over to the coffee table where it dropped with a small clatter.

Willow smiled at Giles sheepishly. "Still need to work on my landings," she said and turned to Buffy expectantly. "Well. What do you think? Ever see someone float a pencil with magic before?"

Buffy gazed at Willow with a mixture of awe and fear on her face. "No. I wouldn't have believed it was possible. Was that really magic?"

Willow nodded and smiled.

"What are you?"

"A girl. Like you. I just happen to have an affinity for witchcraft, though I've still got a lot to learn."

"Magic," Buffy said softly. The expression on her face turned to wonder. "It's real? That wasn't just a trick of some kind?" Her gaze never left Willow's face.

Willow shook her head. "Nope. Not a trick. It really is magic."

Buffy looked at each of them in turn. "And my mother is really alive? Can I see her?" she asked.

Giles hesitated a moment. "Yes, she's really alive, though technically she's not your mother. I think it best to wait until we have more information before we approach her." He watched her face fall and found himself wishing he could give her what she wanted. He sighed and stood up. "I think I'll make some tea."

Giles wandered into the kitchen. He filled the teakettle with water and placed it on the burner. He watched it without really seeing it, lost in his thoughts.

"Giles?" Xander's voice was soft.

He turned to the younger man. "Yes?"

"You're worried about Buffy, aren't you? I mean about our Buffy."

Giles closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "Yes. Yes I am." He glanced through the kitchen pass-through to the living room. "If I've guessed correctly and we're dealing with a switch, then Buffy is in a world where you and Willow aren't her friends. And where I may or may not exist."

Xander frowned. "Buffy'll deal. I mean it's not like she isn't used to weird things happening. And what'll you think she'll do once she cops to the fact that she's not in her own world? I know just what she'll do. She'll go looking for you. Or your twin or double or whatever. Man, this is gonna get confusing fast. Anyway, if he's not where she expects him to be, she'll track him down. Trust me."

Giles smiled slightly. "What if he can't or won't help her?"

Xander crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Do you really believe that she couldn't convince someone who's your double to help her? 'Cause I don't think that's possible. No matter how different he may be."

"I hope you're right, Xander. Because we may just need help from her end in order to be able to bring her home." Giles sighed and turned off the burner.

He brought out mugs and fixed the tea. Xander carried two of the mugs out to Willow and Buffy. He returned and picked up his own mug, turning it round and round in his hands.

"Giles," he said, "what are we supposed to call her? I mean, she's Buffy, but she's not. It's hard to keep them straight."

"For now I think it best to just call her Buffy. That is, after all, her name. I have a feeling that trying to refer to her as anything else would just confuse and upset her."

Xander nodded and said wryly, "She's not much like our Buff, is she?"

Giles shrugged. "Not on the surface at any rate. Perhaps we should join them." He gestured for Xander to precede him out of the kitchen.

Giles sat back down on the chair next to the couch. Xander wandered over to a window and stared out into the night.

"Do you have any idea what's caused this?" Willow asked.

Giles shook his head. "There are some possibilities, but I'll need to research."

"Do you want us to stay and help tonight?" Willow asked.

"I don't believe so. I'll go through a few volumes, but I thought I'd start the heavy research tomorrow. For that I will need your help."

Xander turned and cleared his throat. "Um, Giles? Where's she going to stay? No offense, but I don't think she's gonna feel comfortable staying here." He looked at Giles apologetically.

Giles smiled wryly. "You're right, of course. Nor would it be appropriate. I thought perhaps Willow could take her back to the dorm. After all, it is Buffy's room as well. And all of her things are there, including her clothes. I assume that they'll fit her."

"I'd say that's a plan," Willow agreed. "Xander'll give us a ride. We wouldn't want to walk back this late." She shot Xander a significant look.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I'll give you guys a ride." Xander turned to Giles. "I hadn't thought of that. She didn't know magic was real."

Buffy glanced between the three of them, a baffled expression on her face. She asked in a puzzled voice, "Why shouldn't we walk back to the dorm? I know you said it's late, but we should be okay as long as we're together."

Giles shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid this world may be more dangerous than your own. It isn't safe for you to go out at night by yourself. Please remember that."

Xander frowned. "Shouldn't we tell her about the va--"

"No," Giles said abruptly. "Not unless it's absolutely necessary. I'd like to see if we can get her back where she belongs without that."

Xander shrugged. "Whatever you say." He turned to Willow and Buffy. "Well ladies, ready to go?"

Willow nodded and stood up. She looked down at Buffy. "It'll be all right. You'll see. Giles will figure out what happened and we'll get you back home."

Buffy nodded and reluctantly stood up. She wrapped her arms around her middle and shivered slightly. To Giles' eyes she looked small and alone and altogether scared. He sighed and wondered, not for the first time, how his Buffy was faring in that other world. Better, he hoped, than the vulnerable young woman standing in his living room. He walked to the door and watched them drive away.

Now that he was alone Giles had time to really worry about Buffy. His Buffy. Alone in a strange world where Willow, Xander and the others weren't her friends. Without him there to guide and help her. His stomach twisted at the thought of Buffy trying to contact her mother only to discover she was dead.

Buffy was strong and resourceful, he told himself resolutely. She could handle anything that was thrown her way. She'd figure out what had most likely happened to her and realize that he would be trying to find a way to return her to her world. There was no reason for him to worry. The little voice in the back of his mind started laughing at him. _Oh yeah, mate, that's a good one. You? Not worry about Buffy? That's rich. Got any more fairy stories to tell?_


	3. Chapter 3

"So, anyway, that's how the Master was destroyed." Buffy took a sip of ice water and stared absently off into the restaurant.

Rupert Giles leaned back in his chair and steadily regarded the petite blonde sitting across the table from him. She told a fascinating tale, but what intrigued him most was that she obviously believed what she was saying. In all respects she seemed quite normal and sane. That is, if one were to discount her belief that she was a vampire slayer from an alternate reality. Such a small thing really, he thought facetiously. It was also quite obvious that the redhead sitting next to her had never heard the story before, no matter how prominently her name was mentioned during the telling.

"And that was just sophomore year?" Willow asked, her rapt gaze never leaving Buffy's face.

Buffy's voice was thoughtful. "Yeah. My junior year of high school sucked. But we don't really need to go into that. You've got the gist of what and who I am as well as the principal players in the world of the Slayer. I've really got to get back. Maybe if I can get home fast none of the bad guys will have time to figure out I was even gone. So, what d'ya think? Can you help me figure out how to get home?" She turned a piercing gaze on him.

He cleared his throat and said cautiously, "Yes, well, you do understand that while your story was fascinating--"

"You don't believe me, do you? Not that I blame you. It's not as if I sound like I'm the poster girl for _Sanity Fair_. If I were you I'd be watching the door for the guys in the white coats. But I'm telling the truth." She watched him intently. "I just wish I could figure out a way to prove it to you."

Rupert shook his head. "I'm afraid unless you can produce a vampire or a demon that there simply isn't any way to prove your story. You're quite charming, and I wish there were some way for me to help you, but I'm afraid all my suggestions would be along the lines of getting counseling. I don't mean that to sound harsh, but it appears that you're quite serious about all this. I feel that I would be doing you a disservice by feeding your delusions." He smiled at her to take the sting out of his words.

Buffy chuckled. "You're good, you know that? I'm not sure that even my Giles could tell someone he thought they were crazy as delicately as you just did. And like I said, if I were you I'd think the same. It doesn't change the facts for me, though. I mean, that what I said was true."

"Um," said Willow hesitantly.

They both turned to the redhead and waited.

Willow looked uncomfortable and squirmed slightly in her chair. "I think I have a way that Buffy could prove her story," she said softly.

Rupert frowned. Surely she didn't believe this, did she? "And how is that?"

"Well, you said that part of being the Slayer was an almost supernatural strength?" Willow looked at Buffy.

Buffy frowned. "Yeah. And the ability to heal quickly." Unconsciously she put a hand to the bruise already fading on her cheek.

"What if you demonstrated your strength? Wouldn't that prove that at least part of your story was true?" Willow glanced between them.

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Will, that's a terrific idea! What do you think?" She turned to Rupert.

"I'm not sure. Just what did you have in mind?" He wasn't about to commit himself to some crackpot scheme.

Buffy smiled. "I don't know. Hey, I'm not faster than a speeding bullet, but there should be a lot of things I could do. Bending iron bars, jumping over eight foot fences from a standing start, you name it."

"You're serious, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yep. Like you said, I probably can't produce a vampire. But I know I can count on my own strength. Looks like the ball's in your court Wa-, um, R-rupert." A slightly flustered look crossed her face.

Rupert steepled his fingers in front of his mouth and gazed at her through narrowed eyes. "I'll agree to this on one condition."

"Name it."

"If you fail the test you agree to get counseling."

"Done," she said immediately, slapping a hand on the table.

He raised an eyebrow at her. She laughed, a bright tinkling sound that sent his thoughts in a wildly inappropriate direction. What was it about her, he mused? He should be concentrating on getting her to agree to get help, not indulging her in this flight of fancy. And yet, and yet, his thoughts trailed away. He forced himself back to the present when he spotted the inquiring look on her face.

"So, where do we start?" she asked brightly.

Rupert raised a hand for the waiter. "Let me pay the check and we can discuss it." He glanced over the bill and handed it, along with a credit card, back to the waiter.

"Thanks for dinner, by the way," she said casually.

"Yes, thank you," Willow added in a small voice.

Rupert turned to Willow with a smile. "How did you get pulled into this? It seems to me that the two of you are virtual strangers."

Willow shrugged uncomfortably. "Buffy took my arm and wouldn't let go. It just seemed easier to come along than make a big scene."

He chuckled and said drolly, "You're both welcome for the dinner. If nothing else, you've saved me from a long boring night of speeches from the faculty. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the same stories over and over. Oh, the people telling them change, but academia, especially a field such as anthropology, is a very small world. The truly interesting stories make the rounds quickly." He signed his name to the check.

They exited the restaurant and stood on the sidewalk. Rupert crossed his arms across his chest and inclined his head to Buffy.

"So," she drawled, "I guess you're waiting for me to suggest something?"

"Since I'm not familiar with this area that might be best, don't you think?" He raised an eyebrow.

Buffy pursed her lips and looked up and down the street. "Hmm, well, let's see. I guess we could go to the park and I could bend some of the monkey bars. Or, um, we could go to the zoo and I could jump into one of the cages and punch out a rhinoceros or something. Oh! Oh! I know! How about if I just go over to that car over there and pick up the front end? That's something I shouldn't be able to do, right?" She strode to the front of a full sized Lincoln Continental and bent down to place her hands under the front bumper.

Rupert found his voice as she started to stand. "Buffy, wait! You could hurt yourself if you str..." His voice trailed off in shock as he watched her easily lift the sedan's front end off the ground. "I don't believe it," he whispered.

Smiling, she turned to the two still standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. "So, this convince you?" She removed one hand from under the bumper and scratched the tip of her nose while easily raising and lowering the car with the other hand. After a moment she lowered the car to the ground, brushed her hands together and returned to the sidewalk.

Rupert couldn't take his eyes off of her. He'd never seen anything to match what he'd just witnessed. Oh, he'd read about people who'd performed amazing feats of strength under great stress, but that didn't apply in this case. He frowned. Of course, it was always possible that she'd set up this situation, though for what purpose he couldn't guess. He turned away abruptly and walked over to the car, repeated her actions and nearly threw his back out when he heaved upward and the car remained firmly on the ground.

He stood up carefully and turned at the sound of muffled chuckles coming from the sidewalk. Placing a hand on his back he stretched slowly until he was sure there wasn't any permanent damage. It was impossible, he thought. Yet he couldn't deny the truth of what he'd just seen. He stepped up onto the sidewalk with as much dignity as he could muster.

"I'm sorry, really," she snickered. "It's just that you looked so funny. I know. I shouldn't laugh. But you should have seen your face!" She wiped her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure it was very funny." He crossed his arms and waited for her to quiet down. "I'll grant that you have an abnormal strength. I want to be honest with you. I still have a hard time with the rest of your story. However, I'm willing to suspend my disbelief and try to help you while I'm here in Sunnydale."

Buffy stilled. When she gazed at him her eyes were dark with an emotion that he couldn't name. "Thank you," she said softly. "That's all I'm asking for. I know that with your help I'll find my way home."

Willow turned to Buffy. "You're really from another reality? And I'm, I mean, my double is your best friend? And she does real magic?" Her voice held a note of awe.

"It's all true Willow." She smiled broadly. "Of course, her spells sometimes go a bit kablooey, but she has this sort of innate talent that she's still learning to use. I bet you could learn to do magic, too."

Willow's eyes were shining with excitement. "Do you really think so? That would be so cool."

Rupert cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt, but aren't we getting ahead of ourselves? It seems to me that we need to establish that magic is actually possible in this reality."

"I thought you still didn't believe," Buffy said.

He sighed. "If I keep prefacing every comment with 'not that I believe this but' we'll never get anywhere."

Buffy grinned impudently. "Good attitude."

"We'll need some place where we can set up an area for research," he said. "I'd suggest my hotel room. Unless you have somewhere else in mind?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Your hotel sounds fine. There's no way that a dorm room is going to be private enough. 'Sides, I'd rather not go back there." She absently brushed the bruise on her cheek again with her hand.

Rupert frowned slightly at her gesture. "Very well. I'll call a taxi." He went back into the restaurant in order to use their pay phone and returned a few moments later to wait with them for the cab to arrive.

 

They walked into the lobby of the Sunnydale Hilton and Rupert guided them to the bank of elevators. He pressed the 'up' button and within seconds a soft musical chime announced the availability of an elevator. The doors of the elevator closed and Rupert fished in his pocket for a small key that he placed in a slot on the button panel. He turned the key and pushed the button for the top floor. He caught a glimpse of Buffy in the mirrored wall of the elevator. The expression on her face hovered between curiosity and confusion.

"Is there something bothering you?" he asked.

She sighed. "Yeah. We don't have a Hilton in my Sunnydale. Way too fancy for our little town. People who want to stay someplace really nice usually head for Santa Barbara. And what's the deal with that key?"

He smiled. "In order to activate the buttons for the top two floors one must have this key. Only people with rooms on those floors are given these keys."

"Pretty fancy. So, what are you -- independently wealthy?" Buffy joked. "Or does the University pay better for guest lecturers in this world than it does in mine?"

"Let's just say I'm comfortably well off. And I wasn't paid. It happened that I had a trip to California planned already when Professor Andrews contacted me. I agreed to make a stop in Sunnydale while I was here and give a short talk." She had such an expressive face, he thought. And those eyes. She didn't seem to be aware of how quickly they betrayed her thoughts and feelings. He felt a pull inside him to reassure her, help her, protect her; a feeling that was becoming increasingly stronger the longer he was in her company. What was it about her that inspired such feelings, he wondered uncomfortably?

"Earth to Rupert," Buffy said and waved her hand in front of his face. "Where'd you go just then?"

"Hmm? Sorry. I was just thinking. Nothing important." Rupert mentally shook himself.

The elevator arrived at his floor and he herded them in the correct direction. He unlocked his door and gestured for them to precede him inside.

"Whoa! This isn't just a suite, is it? This is like some kind of penthouse thing. What'd you do, rob a bank?" Buffy asked him.

Her reaction amused him. "I assure you this isn't all that special. But it is the best I could do in Sunnydale."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, be thankful you're in this Sunnydale then, 'cause you'd never find a place like this in my Sunnydale. And let me tell you, my Giles wouldn't be able to afford anything like this. You should see the car he drives. It's as far from new as you can get and still run. Actually, it doesn't always run that well." She looked away and a soft smile crossed her face.

"Then I suppose I should be grateful to live in this reality," he said lightly. And why is it that I'm suddenly envious of 'her Giles', he wondered?

"Hey! This is a high speed Internet access port!" Willow exclaimed and turned to them. "Do you have a laptop?"

He shook his head and said ruefully, "No. I do have a computer at home, but I don't feel comfortable enough with it to drag a portable one around with me when I travel. I know it's unreasonable, but the things give me a strange feeling of dread."

"At least some things are the same," Buffy muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. Willow, do you have a laptop?"

"Uh-huh."

"Could you get it? My Will does most of our 'net research for us on her laptop. It wouldn't hurt to have that resource, especially since I doubt that Rupert here brought an entire occult library with him." Buffy smiled.

"Sure. I can do that." Willow looked at Rupert. "Can I borrow your phone? I'll call Xander and have him take me back to campus to get it. It is okay for me to tell Xander, isn't it?" She looked anxiously at Buffy.

Buffy nodded. "I can't see that it'll hurt. That is, if you think he can handle it? I don't know anything about what this Xander's like."

Willow's smile softened. "He'll be okay. He's a lot like the Xander you described. We've been friends forever."

"Go ahead and make your call," Rupert said quietly. He wondered if she realized how much she'd just revealed about her feelings for this Xander person. A glance at Buffy's face told him that she had seen it as well.

Willow replaced the receiver on the phone. "Okay. Xander'll be here in a few minutes. I'll go down and wait for him in the lobby. Shouldn't take us more than an hour, tops." She started for the door.

"You'll need this," Rupert said and tossed her the small key for the elevator. "That way you can come straight up."

"Thanks." Willow smiled and closed the door behind her.

Rupert cleared his throat in the sudden silence that descended upon the room. "I'll be right back. Make yourself comfortable."

He walked across the room and through the door to the bedroom, closing it behind him. He removed his jacket and hung it in the closet. What in the world had he gotten himself into, he wondered? He'd been restless lately, looking for something to challenge him, but this wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind. There was something compelling about her, though. Something vital that called to him and made him want to believe. Each time he spoke about her reality as if it were fact he knew he took one step closer to actually believing, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Might as well get on with it, he thought and turned resolutely back to the door.

He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt as he stepped into the sitting room. The room appeared empty and he wondered for a moment if she had left. A small movement caught the corner of his eye. He turned and saw her standing at the sliding glass door leading to the balcony. She was looking out at the night, her fists clenched by her sides and her body radiating tension. He moved slowly until he stood behind her.

"Something wrong?" he asked softly. She started at his words as if she hadn't realized he was there and he instinctively placed a warm hand on her shoulder to quiet her.

She sighed and relaxed. "No. Yes. I don't know. I mean, other than not being where I belong I guess there's nothing wrong."

He nodded. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"

"Yeah." She stiffened suddenly. "I'm worried about all of them."

"But him in particular." Rupert made it a statement. He wasn't sure what perverse impulse made him pursue this, but as long as she was answering his questions he intended to continue.

After a slight hesitation she replied softly, "Yeah, I'm worried about him in particular."

"Why?"

She shook her head in irritation. "Because he worries about me. Because he'll push himself and push himself to find out how to bring me home without concern for his own health or safety. Because I care, okay?" She turned and looked up at him.

She's angry because she's been forced to admit her feelings, he thought in surprise. _Obviously it's not something she likes to think about. Lucky bastard._ "Then we better start figuring out things from our end, don't you think?" He tried to keep his voice light.

Buffy nodded and stepped away from him. "Okay. Where do we start?"

Rupert rubbed his chin. "Why don't we sit on the couch. I have some questions I'd like to ask you about what you remember."

She sat with her back against the corner of the couch, half turned to face him. "Shoot."

"What's the first thing you remember about this reality?" he asked promptly.

"I woke up on a park bench in the middle of the day. Totally weird." She frowned slightly.

"What else?"

"Well, I was dressed strangely." She shook her head. "I mean I was wearing strange clothes. Clothes that I didn't recognize as mine. And there were strange things in my backpack. A lot of makeup for one thing. And no stakes or holy water."

Rupert raised his eyebrows. "Really? And then?"

She shrugged. "I walked back to campus and noticed more and more things that weren't right, put two and two together and figured I must be in some weird twilight zone world."

"As simple as that?"

"Well, I might not have thought of it so quickly if we hadn't had an experience with an alternate world last year. At least this isn't that world!"

"How do you know that?" he asked curiously.

Buffy looked at him seriously. "The vampires had pretty much taken over Sunnydale in that world. Willow and Xander were both vampires. In fact, that Willow was brought through to our world accidentally. It was pretty awful. We all thought Will had been turned until she walked into the Library alive."

Rupert frowned. "So there were two of her in your reality? At the same time?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded. "Is that important?"

"It may be, I just don't know yet. What's the last thing you remember before the park bench?"

"Well," she drawled and turned to look at the room. "I remember being at Giles' place. We were sitting on the couch. Sort of like this, actually. I was telling him something. Something that I was upset about."

"What?"

"I don't know! It's like it's right on the tip of my tongue and I can't remember. I hate that." She grimaced.

"Try not to force it and perhaps it'll come to you." He pursed his lips and watched her. "Let's try something. Tell me about what the room was like. Was it daytime? Bright inside?"

She shook her head. "No. It was night, dark. I was supposed to go out on patrol, but I needed to talk to Giles. We were sitting on the couch in his living room. The room was dark except for two of his old tiffany style lamps. They kind of give off a warm glow, you know?"

He nodded but didn't speak.

"Giles made tea." She smiled softly. "That's his answer to everything. Faced with yet another disaster, Giles will make tea."

"Tea can be very soothing," he said, keeping his voice neutral.

"I suppose you think it's the answer to everything, too," she said, her voice teasing.

He shook his head and gave her a slight smile. "No, but it does give one a familiar ritual that may be performed without thought. That's truly what makes it soothing. As a matter of fact, I quite prefer to drink coffee."

"Whoa. This _is_ an alternate universe." She smiled.

He cleared his throat. "So. He made tea. And?"

"Uh, yeah. Tea. And we talked. I think he was kind of relieved. See I'd sort of been avoiding him for the last couple of weeks. Sometimes that happens. Not his fault, and he never says anything, but I could tell he was glad I was ready to talk." She sighed and looked away.

"I don't mean to pry, but I don't know what might be important. Why had you been avoiding him?" Whatever it was, he thought, it depressed her.

Buffy pressed her lips together and said grimly, "A few weeks ago I nearly got him killed again. Willow, Xander, and I barely got there in time to free him and kill the Destroyer. That was the vamp that had him. But we were too late to prevent him from torturing Giles. That's the second time that's happened." She looked at him bleakly. "Do you see why I need to get back there? I don't know what's happening or what will happen if I'm not there."

He blinked. Torture? And she blamed herself. What physical torture could be worse than the mental anguish she was obviously putting herself through? Then again, perhaps he didn't really want to know the answer to that question. Rupert nodded and said quietly, "Yes, I do see. This Destroyer? What did he want with, um, Giles?"

She hesitated. "Do you have a myth or legend about someone called the Thrice Greatest?"

He shook his head. "Not that I can recall. Is there any other name?"

"I'm not great with names, but I think Hermes?"

"There was a Greek god named Hermes, but I don't recall him ever being referred to as the Thrice Greatest."

"Well, in my world there was this Thrice Greatest who was actually a powerful demon. He was destroyed centuries ago. The Destroyer was his known as his left hand. The Thrice Greatest had this magical whosits called the Emerald Tablet. It was this big chunk of real emerald that had magical powers. Anyway, somehow the Destroyer found a spell to destroy the barriers between my reality and Hell. Not just open the Hellmouth. But to do it he needed the blood of a Watcher and the Emerald."

Rupert sucked in his breath and said, "That would have been incredibly disastrous. And that's why this Destroyer needed Giles? Because he's your, uh, Watcher?"

She nodded. "The only good thing about the whole mess is that I destroyed the Emerald, too." She suddenly stilled.

"What is it?" he asked, concerned about her stillness.

"The Emerald..." her voice trailed off.

"Yes?" he prompted.

She turned to him, her eyes still far away and unseeing. "I had the strangest experience when I destroyed it. I don't know how to describe it. It was like I could see all these possibilities. Like I could choose whichever reality I wanted. I had to focus on my reality. Gotta say the creep factor was pretty high." She stood up and moved restlessly around the room. "I kept having these weird visions afterwards. That's what I wanted to tell Giles about. I should've told him when they first started happening, but I wasn't ready to face him."

"What kind of visions?" He watched her as she continued her restless trek around the room.

"Double vision type of stuff. Only it wasn't just double vision. It was like I would see the same thing only each version would be different." She shook her head, clearly frustrated with her inability to explain. "Like, I'd be looking at Willow and I wouldn't just see several of the same image of Willow. I'd see a bunch of Willows but they'd all be different. Each one would be dressed differently or would have a different haircut. Like that." She looked at him hopefully.

He smiled and patted the couch, silently inviting her to sit down again. He smiled to himself when she reluctantly returned to the couch. "I do see. As if you were seeing Willows from many different realities."

Her eyes widened. "I hadn't actually thought of that, but yeah, I guess that's what it would be. Do you think the Emerald did something to me when I destroyed it?"

"I don't know." He shook his head and added ruefully, "I seem to be saying that a lot don't I? Look, there's a lot of information to digest and frankly a lot more information that we're going to need before I'll feel comfortable suggesting something. Is there anything else you can remember?"

She looked at him bleakly and nodded. "I remember now that I was telling all this to Giles, trying to explain what I was seeing. And all of a sudden it happened. Right in the middle of my explanation I had one of those visions. Of Giles. There were so many of him." She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "I could hear him saying something and I knew I should be paying attention, but they were so real. More real than any of the other images I'd seen. I sort of remember reaching my hand out towards them. And that's all. The next thing I know I'm on that damn bench." She opened her eyes and looked at him.

They gazed at each other in silence. Several times Rupert opened his mouth to say something, only to shut it again. After all, what could he say? _Don't worry, I'll see that you get back to your reality? Don't worry, I'm sure all of your friends and loved ones are safe and sound there with the vampires and demons? Don't worry, we're not all headed for the loony bin? No, really, I do magic all the time, being an academic is just a hobby?_

He opened his mouth and instead found himself saying, "I don't know how to get you home. But that doesn't mean we can't find the way together. I won't let you down." _What are you, a bloody idiot?_

She rewarded him with that brilliant smile of hers. "I never doubted it."

He cleared his throat and would have promised more but a knock on the door saved him from making a bigger fool of himself than he already had. "That will be Willow and, Xander was it? I'll let them in." He rose and walked to the door to the suite. He turned back to her before opening the door. "I meant what I said."

"I know," Buffy replied softly. "You better let 'em in before Willow decides she's made a mistake with the room number. I have a feeling we're really going to need their help." She smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Willow shifted the pink box in her arms and knocked softly on the door. After waiting a suitable time without an answer she fished in her pocket and brought out a shiny silver key. Smiling reassuringly at the girl next to her, she unlocked the door and stepped confidently into the entryway. She closed the door quietly behind her companion and gestured with her shoulder to indicate the blonde should walk ahead of her into the living room.

Willow placed the box on the coffee table and looked around the room. Her gaze landed on Giles asleep at his desk and she smiled. She glanced at the other girl and placed a silencing finger to her lips. Thoughtfully she stood next to the desk and looked down at the Watcher.

Books were piled haphazardly on the desk and on the floor at his feet. He'd fallen asleep on his arms, resting on three open books and his notepad. Even in sleep he frowned, betraying the depth of his worry over Buffy's fate. Willow sighed and tentatively reached out a hand to gently touch his shoulder. She hated to wake him, but knew he wouldn't appreciate it if she let him sleep.

"Giles," she said softly. "It's Willow, and, um, Buffy."

He didn't stir. She shook his shoulder a bit more firmly, but still he didn't budge. Willow shook her head and turned to the blonde now sitting on the couch watching her curiously.

"I'll go make some tea," she said. "Maybe he'll wake up once I've got a cup of Earl Grey ready." She shrugged and walked into the kitchen.

She filled the teakettle with water and placed it on the stove to heat. The tea bags were in the cupboard opposite the stove and she glanced through the opening into the living room when she turned to fetch them. The sight that met her gaze brought her up short.

Buffy stood next to Giles with her head cocked, looking down at him wistfully. They'd talked long into the night about everything Buffy might need to know or was curious about this world, including the various relationships among the Slayer's friends. Well, Willow amended to herself, the relationships according to the way she saw them. In return, Buffy had told her some of what her life was like in her own world. For a world seemingly without demons her life was not at all what Willow would have imagined. As Willow watched and held her breath, Buffy hesitantly reached out a hand and lightly touched Giles' cheek.

Giles stirred beneath her touch and without opening his eyes murmured "Buffy?" He blinked and looked up, smiling. His smile faltered slightly as he gazed at the young woman standing before him.

"Good morning," she said softly. "I'm sorry I'm not your Buffy."

He shook his head and slowly sat up straight in his chair. "Good morning. I trust since you're here that Willow is also around somewhere?" He made it a question.

"I'm in the kitchen Giles," Willow called. She hated the disappointment she'd seen on his face when he realized the girl standing next to him wasn't their Buffy. After what she'd found out the night before, Willow felt a bit protective of the young woman he'd placed in her care. It was an odd feeling to have about someone who looked so much like her best friend, but it hadn't taken long for Willow to find enough differences between them to allow her to think of this Buffy as an entirely separate person. Now if they could just think of a way to refer to her that wouldn't be so confusing.

Giles stood up slowly and stretched. He smiled kindly at Buffy and gestured for her to sit on the couch. He walked into the kitchen, his smile turning sad as he looked at Willow.

"Did you find anything?" she asked as she turned back to the teakettle.

"No," he replied. He leaned against the kitchen sink and watched her prepare the tea.

Willow glanced over her shoulder at him, eyebrows raised.

"Not yet," he amended and shrugged. "I'm afraid I don't have much to go on right now. I looked through all the sources I could think of that had any reference to multiple images or multiple realities. There weren't as many as I'd hoped." He sighed and accepted a mug of tea.

"Xander and Anya should be here soon. We brought donuts." Willow picked up the remaining two mugs and followed Giles back to the living room.

"Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you." Giles smile included Buffy. He pulled the chair from his desk around to face the couch.

Buffy smiled shyly back at him and ducked her head. "Willow said you liked jelly donuts, so that's what we got the most of," she said softly.

Giles grinned. "Ah. In that case I suppose I'd better have one now. If I wait too long around this lot I usually end up without."

"Hey! That last time was Buffy's fault. I only had one. She's the one who ate the other three." Willow grinned back at him.

"Yes, but you didn't suggest she set one aside, did you?" He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Contrary to popular belief, I am not the official keeper of the donuts," she said with as much dignity as she could muster while giggling. She noticed that Buffy was watching their teasing with a confused expression on her face and turned to reassure her, but Giles beat her to it.

"It's a joke," he said, "that I never seem to be around when the jelly donuts are here, even though they're my favorite."

"Oh," she replied. The corners of her mouth lifted in a small smile.

They turned at the sound of two sharp raps on the front door. Xander and Anya walked into the entryway without pausing in an obviously on going argument.

"But why do you have to get her back?" Anya asked. "I mean, you still have one of her. Isn't that enough?" She had a perplexed frown on her face that indicated her lack of understanding of something fairly basic.

"No, it's not enough! People aren't interchangeable spare parts," Xander said, frustrated. "Look. How would you feel if it were you? Say you traded places with your twin from another reality and I said, hey, one Anya's as good as another -- let's just keep this one?"

Anya's expression cleared. "Oh. Not good." She was silent for a moment and then asked anxiously, "You wouldn't do that, would you?"

Xander threw his hands up in exasperation. "Of course not! That's what I'm trying to tell you. I wouldn't do that to you, and we won't do that to Buffy."

"Uh, guys?" Willow glanced at Buffy and was relieved to see her looking fascinated by their argument instead of concerned.

Xander steered Anya into the living room. "Hey Will. Giles. Uh, Buffy. Ooh, jelly donuts. Cool." He selected a donut and sat down in the easy chair, pulling Anya down to sit on the arm of the chair with him.

"Good morning Xander, Anya," Giles said, his voice controlled.

Willow looked at him and her eyes widened at the tenseness in his jaw. She sighed to herself. Anya was one of the few people who could strain Giles' British reserve to the breaking point. Willow used to think Cordelia was the only one with the ability to get under his skin so quickly, but Cordelia couldn't hold a candle to Anya. And Anya and Xander together tried Giles' patience even in the best of times. This was most definitely not the best of times.

"So, Giles. Any progress?" Xander asked around a mouth full of jelly donut.

"I'm afraid not. At least not anything positive." Giles turned back to Willow. "I found a few spells that can be used to open paths to alternate realities. And others to create temporal folds similar to the one you and Anya used to, uh, that is..." He trailed off and glanced at Willow in alarm.

She wrinkled her nose. "It's okay Giles. I know I shouldn't have done that and it was really strange having an evil me around. I'm just glad we sent her back. As much as she was really evil and kinda skanky, well, I just couldn't bring myself to stake her."

Giles smiled warmly. "Suffice it to say we were all quite relieved to find out that you hadn't been turned. But as I was saying, I did find spells to create temporal folds and space-time bubbles. But none of the spells I found would affect an individual in the way Buffy was affected. They all create a, well, I suppose doorway would be the most common term to use. That's not what happened to Buffy. It was as if she'd become part of the doorway, or the doorway was part of her." He frowned.

Willow nodded. "I think I see where you're going with this. Instead of a door opening and Buffy just happening to be the one to walk through, she's the only one affected. She is the door."

"I believe so, yes. I just don't know how it happened." He rubbed his forehead.

Willow reached over and patted his arm. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out."

His eyes met hers and the bleakness in them made her inhale sharply before he smiled slightly and looked away. "Thank you Willow. I know I can always count on you."

Buffy cleared her throat causing them all to look her way. "I guess I'm a little confused. If your Buffy's this doorway or whatever, why didn't she just show up in my world? How come we traded places?"

Giles started. He said, bemused "I hadn't really thought of that." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and turned an intense gaze on Anya. "Perhaps you might have some suggestions."

Anya frowned. "I don't know why they switched. It's not something I'm familiar with. Is it really that important? Couldn't we just open a doorway and bring her back?"

"Won't work. We need something that will effectively switch the two of them, not bring one through."

"Why?" Anya sounded puzzled.

"What do you mean 'why?'" Giles frowned at her.

"I just mean, why? If you open a doorway, couldn't they both just cross? Why do you have to switch them?"

Willow met Giles startled gaze. "Do you think that would work?" she asked.

"It might," he said hesitantly. "It wouldn't address what caused this to happen in the first place, but perhaps it would be easier to deal with that when we have Buffy back. I want to think about this before we try anything." He sat back in his chair with a faraway look in his eyes.

Willow turned to Anya eagerly. "Do you know any spells to open a doorway like that?"

Anya nodded. "Opening the door's easy. The tricky part is figuring out which door to open. You know, which reality it should lead to."

"How do you figure that out?" Willow asked curiously.

"I don't." Anya shrugged. "If Giles can't figure it out, then there's nothing I can do."

Willow frowned. "But--"

"She's right, Willow," Giles interrupted. "In the end it all comes down to determining where Buffy is. Unless we can do that, which spell to use to bring her back will be moot. Unfortunately this isn't a situation such as with Anyanka's wish universe where someone sent Buffy somewhere and so knows where she is." He shook his head.

"Isn't there, like, some kind of locator spell you could use? You know, sort of like using a bloodhound to sniff her out?" Xander asked hopefully. He licked the powdered sugar from the donut off of his fingers.

"Not one that would work across realities, I'm afraid." Giles raked his hand through his hair. "I wonder, though..." his voice trailed off as he gazed at Buffy.

"What?" she asked hesitantly.

"I may be going about this all wrong. Instead of trying to find our Buffy, perhaps we should use you to find your reality."

"You mean like some sort of magic resonance?" Willow asked.

"I hadn't thought of it that way, but yes, just so." Giles gave her a lopsided smile.

"Can you really do that?"

Giles shrugged. "I won't know until I've searched through the spell books."

Anya shifted her weight on the arm of the chair. "Do you want us to help?"

Giles turned to her and raised his eyebrows. "Are you volunteering?" he asked, surprised.

She shook her head. "No. I just want to know if we're going to have to stick around here all day."

Xander groaned. "Remember that discussion we had about not always saying what you're thinking?"

Willow snickered. "She's just being honest. Really Xand, I thought you'd be used to that." She tried to look innocent when Xander shot her a look.

Giles looked at Xander and Anya and said, "Yes, well, I don't believe that I'll need any help just yet. You two might as well enjoy the day. Check in later, though." He turned to Willow. "I'd like you to see what you can find on the net. All right? When does Oz return?"

"Sure. I left my laptop at the dorm. I might as well do my surfing there and then call you if I find something. Oz doesn't get back from Los Angeles until tomorrow sometime. Tonight's the last night for the Dingoes to play at the club." Willow finished her tea and took the mug into the kitchen.

"Is there something I can do?" Buffy asked softly.

Giles looked thoughtful. "Would you mind staying here? If I do find something I'd like to check the efficacy of the spell. The only way to do that will be to have you at hand."

"You won't do anything dangerous without us, will you?" Willow asked anxiously from the kitchen.

He shook his head. "No. But I should be able to determine fairly easily if a spell will work."

Buffy nodded. "I'll stay if that'll help you."

He smiled at her. "Thank you. Very well, let's hope I find something that'll work. Willow, be sure and call me if you come across anything you think might be remotely useful."

Willow nodded. "Count on it. Come on Xander, Anya. Let's go."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Xander said. He paused at the door and looked at Giles seriously. "We'll be back later. I'll keep Anya out of your way for a while."

Willow glanced back and saw Giles' mouth quirk into a small smile as Xander closed the door. She sighed to herself and turned away.

"Hey Will. Give you a ride back to the dorm?" Xander asked.

Willow smiled at him. "Sure. Thanks." She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

 

 

Giles placed a bookmarker on the page and closed the book in front of him. Perhaps this spell would work and, then again, perhaps it wouldn't. He wouldn't know for sure until he tried it. He glanced at the couch and smiled to himself. Buffy was curled up asleep in one corner. A casual observer would assume that she was truly Buffy, their Buffy. Giles wasn't sure how he was able to discern the truth so easily, but it had gotten to the point where he could tell with just a glance that she wasn't his Slayer. This morning when he'd woken to find her standing next to him the recognition had been like a fist in his gut. He shook his head and sighed.

"Buffy?" he asked quietly. He needed to wake her, but was concerned about startling her. She seemed so unsure of herself.

"Huh?" Buffy sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked at him and smiled shyly. "Did you find something?"

"Possibly," he said. "I'm sorry, but I need to set up a protective circle in order to test a spell. I didn't want you to wake and wonder what was going on."

"Thanks. What do you want me to do?"

Giles noticed that her fingernails were white from the pressure as she clasped her hands in front of her. He hurried to reassure her. "You won't be required to do anything except sit. I just didn't want to alarm you. For now, just make yourself comfortable."

She nodded and her eyes followed him when he stood. Giles looked down at the list of items he'd made. Candles, charcoal, incense and burner, sage, and a shiny silver platter. One of these days he was going to have to find some place other than his living room to use for casting spells. Casting wasn't so bad; it was the cleanup afterwards that was sometimes difficult. He sighed to himself and went to fetch what he needed for the spell.

He moved the dining table and chairs back against the wall and rolled the rug up that they normally stood on. He placed a single chair on the wood floor. Using the charcoal he drew a ring around the chair, making it large enough to allow him to sit comfortably on the floor in front of the chair yet still be contained within the circle. At the points of an equilateral triangle outside the circle he placed three fat candles. The incense, burner and platter he placed next to the chair inside the circle.

Giles returned to the couch and held out his hand to Buffy with a smile. She placed her small hand in his slowly and allowed him to pull her up. He led her to the chair and had her sit down. Her eyes were wide as she took in the circle and the implements on the floor.

"It's all right," he said reassuringly. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm just going to do a portion of this spell to see if there's any resonance, as Willow suggested, between you and the reality where you belong. All you need do is stay seated in this chair. I'll be here with you the entire time." He picked up the wedge of sage and lit one end. "The first thing I'm going to do is cleanse the room."

Giles walked to each corner of the room, slowly waving the burning sage in the air and muttering the cleansing spell under his breath. He could feel Buffy's gaze on him as if it were riveted to his back. He took the sage into the kitchen and put it out. He lit the candles and stepped over the circle, being careful not to smudge the charcoal. Sitting cross-legged in front of the chair he lit the incense in the burner and placed the silver platter on his lap.

"Don't worry," he said and glanced up at her with a smile. "You may actually find this fairly boring as you won't really experience anything. I just need your presence." He glanced down and the platter, saying the words of the spell in a barely audible voice.

His hands passed over the top of the platter. Right, left, right, left. Nothing. He muttered the spell again and moved his hands over the platter. Again nothing. Giles shook his head and sighed.

"Well," he said. "That was a bust. No! Wait!"

His hand shot out to prevent Buffy from stepping out of the circle. He grabbed her arm and yanked more strongly than he'd intended in his panic to prevent her from breaking the spell. She lost her balance and tumbled backwards, landing on top of him. He was barely able to clutch her to him, absorbing the shock and managing to keep them both within the circle. His breathing was ragged and he squeezed his eyes shut, resting his forehead against the top of her head in relief.

"Don't move," he said softly when she stirred slightly. "It would be very dangerous to cross the circle before I've ended the spell. I'm sorry. I should have told you that before I started, but it just didn't occur to me." Giles raised his head and opened his eyes. Horror closed his throat as he saw how close they had come to disaster. Buffy's left foot was just inside the charcoal. Another centimeter and she would have crossed the circle.

"Can I move yet?" she whispered fearfully into his shirt.

He smiled in relief. "No. You're too close to the edge of the circle. I'll just end the spell and then it won't matter how we move. Hold on for a moment and it'll all be over." Giles held her tightly with his right arm, freeing his left to make the gestures to end the spell. He muttered the words and leaned forward slightly to make one final pass over the platter now resting on the ground, half under the chair. He put his hands on Buffy's upper arms and gently moved her away from his chest.

She looked up at him. "Okay?" she whispered.

He nodded. "It's over. You can move now." He smiled at her reassuringly.

She scrambled back and stood up. Her eyes were wide and dilated, her arms wrapped around her waist as if she were cold. Giles pushed himself up off the floor and approached her, putting a warm hand on her shoulder. As if his touch released something inside her, she began to shiver violently in reaction. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her in an effort to warm her and stop her shivering. It didn't seem to help. He kept an arm around her as he led her to the couch where he made her lie down and then covered her with an afghan.

"Wh-what would have happened if I'd crossed the circle?" Buffy asked shakily. She looked up at him as she clutched the afghan in both hands.

Giles sighed and sat down on the coffee table across from the couch. "Any time a spell is broken in such a fashion it allows the magic involved to be freed. This spell was simple. Breaking the circle might not have caused anything untoward to happen. But it's never safe to assume that just because a spell is benign or easy to perform that one may disregard the magic involved. Wild magic is always dangerous." He smiled slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded hesitantly. "I guess. I'm sorry I'm not brave like your Buffy."

He shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry about. And you're wrong. You're very brave. I can't imagine that there are very many people who could experience what you have and hold up as well. It's my fault for not explaining everything to you about the spell." He smiled at her ruefully. "I guess even I forget that you don't know all about magic or the things that my Buffy would know."

She smiled slightly. "So, it didn't work, huh?"

"No. But that was just the first possibility. I think we'll take a break for a bit. Maybe go outside and get some fresh air." He glanced out the window behind him. "It's the middle of the day. What do you say? Feel like taking a walk?"

She gazed at him steadily for a few moments and then nodded. "Sure. That would be nice."

"Good." He stood and walked over to his desk. "I'll leave Willow a note in case she comes over while we're out." He dashed off the note and propped it up on the coffee table. He made sure the candles and incense were extinguished and then picked up his keys and opened the front door, allowing Buffy to exit ahead of him before closing and locking the door behind them.

"Where are we going?" she asked softly.

He shrugged. "Let's just walk and clear our heads. The destination isn't important. You can tell me about your world, and perhaps you have questions you'd like to ask me."

"Okay. I do have a few questions if you don't mind." She glanced at him shyly.

"Not at all." Giles clasped his hands behind him as they walked slowly down the street together. He glanced down at her and sighed to himself. This was taking longer than he liked, but it was important to keep her feeling at ease. Nothing would be gained by allowing his frustration to show. Unlike the reaction he'd expect from his Slayer, that would merely scare her. He'd just have to go slowly and hope that they found the answer soon.


	5. Chapter 5

After half an hour of tossing and turning trying to will himself back to sleep, Rupert surrendered. Remembering that there were others out in the sitting room he slipped into a pair of Levi's, leaving the top two buttons undone, and pulled a black T-shirt over his head. Opening the bedroom door quietly, he glanced around the room and smiled.

Willow and Xander, the dark haired young man who had arrived with her the night before, were asleep on the couch in the conversation pit. Xander was slouched down in the corner of the couch with his legs up on the coffee table, a book open on his lap. Willow leaned against him, her head on his shoulder and her legs tucked up on the couch, a pad of paper on her lap. They looked remarkably peaceful.

There was no sign of Buffy. Rupert frowned and noticed the draperies had been drawn across the windows, leaving a small opening at the sliding glass door to the balcony patio. He padded silently across the room and looked out. The sky was lightening to the gray of morning twilight, giving enough light for him to make out a figure bundled in a blanket sitting in a patio chair facing east. He stepped outside, easing the glass door closed behind him. He stood to one side of the figure in the chair and watched the gray of the sky turn to streaks of purple and orange as the sun rose.

"I love to watch the sunrise," Buffy said dreamily. "Of course, I usually only see it after a night spent preventing the end of the world as we know it. But something about seeing the sunrise gives me hope." She sighed. "Or maybe it's just that I know it means I have another twelve plus hours where I don't have to fight for my life." She glanced up at him with a wry smile on her face.

Rupert smiled down at her. "Sunrise is very symbolic. After all it means a new day, new possibilities. It's not surprising that you would find it hopeful."

"Speaking of which, any news?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Sorry. I just woke up. Willow and her young man are asleep on the couch. I'm sure if they thought they'd found something that they would have woken me."

Buffy nodded. She stood and hitched the blanket higher on her shoulders. Reluctantly she said, "As much as I hate to, I've gotta go back to the dorm. I need to take a shower and get some clean clothes. I'm getting pretty gamy." She wrinkled her nose.

"How are you going to get there?"

"Thought I'd walk. It's not that far." She lifted her arm and pointed. "See that building? That's on the edge of the campus and the dorms aren't much farther. It's maybe a fifteen to twenty minute walk. I'll stuff some clothes in a backpack and scoot on back. Shouldn't take more then a couple of hours. 'Sides, I'm feeling kind of cooped up and restless. Trust me, I need to work that off."

Rupert cocked his head to the side. "Mind if I go with you? I could use the exercise."

She shrugged. "I guess. Sure, why not?"

"I suggest we let Willow and Xander sleep. Why don't you write a note while I finish getting dressed? We'll leave it on her laptop in case they wake before we return."

"Sounds good." She followed him through the glass door and quietly closed the draperies to shut out the morning sun.

Rupert returned to the bedroom, donned shoes and his leather jacket and grabbed the key to the suite. Buffy waited impatiently for him at the door and they rode the elevator down to the lobby in silence. A lone desk clerk looked up and smiled at them when they exited the elevator and headed for the lobby doors.

Twenty minutes later they stood in front of Buffy's dorm room. He waited for her to open the door and was surprised when she hesitated. Twice she reached for the doorknob, only to slowly draw her hand back without touching it. Finally she looked up at him.

"This is gonna sound weird. Well, OK, not as weird as everything else I've told you, but weird enough. I have the strangest feeling about going in that room." She frowned.

Rupert frowned and asked quietly, "What kind of feeling? You did say that part of being the Slayer was a heightened perception of supernatural things."

She looked puzzled. "That's just it. It isn't the same feeling I get when there are vampires around. And I don't get a sense of danger or anything. It's just odd..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at the door.

"Nothing more specific?" When she shook her head he pursed his lips. "Then I propose that we go in and find out if there's anything to what you're feeling. Shall we?" He gestured to the door.

"Yeah. It's probably nothing." She turned the knob and stepped inside, only to stop abruptly causing Rupert to bump into her.

Rupert looked over her head and sucked in his breath, his hands instinctively coming up to grip her shoulders. A man's mutilated body sprawled across the bed in front of them like a rag doll thrown by a careless hand. Dried blood caked a once white formal shirt under a rumpled tuxedo. The man's face was turned away from the door. Dried blood splashed up the walls and across the floor, pooling in a dark stain next to the bed.

Rupert gagged as a putrid smell wafted from the body. Buffy was too still under his hands. Firmly he turned her away from the grisly scene. They stood facing each other for a moment and then he felt a small tremor run through her body. Her hands gripped his jacket tightly and she buried her face in his chest, her tears soaking into his T-shirt as her body silently shook.

Rupert held her close and gently stroked her hair. Gradually her tremors subsided. Buffy took several deep breaths and leaned her forehead against his chest. She pushed away, out of his embrace, and looked up at him with a pain-filled gaze.

"Do you know who he was?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she said huskily. "His name was Brian Callahan. Apparently he was my double's boyfriend." She sighed and reluctantly turned towards the bed.

Rupert reached out to stop her, but let his hand fall as he watched her carefully examine the body without touching it. "Her boyfriend?"

She nodded and looked at him over her shoulder. "If you'd asked me about him before I opened the door I would have told you that he was an abusive asshole. I ran into him yesterday. Actually I guess I should say I had a run-in with him yesterday. But when I left for your lecture he was very much alive."

Rupert raised an eyebrow. "Is he someone you know in your own reality?"

Buffy looked down at the ground. "Yeah," she said softly. "We were never that close, but I did date him a few times. It's harder than I remembered."

"What is?"

"Seeing someone I know, even if it's his double. Seeing him dead, I mean." She scrubbed a hand over her face. "Don't worry. I won't fall apart on you. I can deal. I'm a champion at it."

Her words might have been light, but Rupert blinked at the anguish in her tone. He knew part of her story from the previous night, but what else had life thrown at her that could have caused so much pain and forced her to be so strong? "We have to ring the police," he said.

Her finger gingerly touched Callahan's chin, moving his head so that they could see his face. Strange symbols had been carved on his forehead and cheeks and his blood had obviously run freely before finally coagulating in the cuts. Buffy found a pad of paper and a pen and drew a sketch of the symbols. She folded the paper and stuffed it in the pocket of her jeans. She looked over her shoulder at Rupert and said, "Yeah. I guess we do. I'm sorry if this is going to cause problems for you."

He shook his head and glanced around the room. "Do you suppose we should call from this room? I don't have anything to hold the receiver with in case of fingerprints, or is that just what they do in bad police dramas?" he asked half- seriously.

"Doesn't matter. They're not going to find any fingerprints anyway. I doubt that what did this was human. Go ahead and call." She sounded weary.

"Why don't you go outside?" he asked gently.

"Thanks, but I'll wait for you."

Rupert dialed 911 and informed the emergency operator what they'd found and that they would await the police outside at the entrance to the dorm. Then he took Buffy by the arm and led her out of the room closing the door behind them. Once outside the building they both took deep breaths as if trying to cleanse their lungs of the smell of the death in the room.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Buffy shrugged. "Something about the markings on his face looked familiar. I just can't put my finger on what it is. You know, I'd really hoped that I'd found a place that didn't have demons. Guess I was wrong about that. And if there are demons, there are probably vampires as well. I'll need to patrol tonight, see what I can find out."

"Patrol? You mean go out in search of vampires? Do you really think that's wise?" He wasn't at all sure he liked the idea of her going out alone at night searching for whatever killed Callahan.

She smiled wryly. "It's what I do, remember? Look. I'll be careful. But I have to do this. Alone." A disoriented look crossed her face. "Huh."

Rupert frowned. "What?"

"Boy, talk about your deja vu. I can't tell you how many times I've had this same conversation with Giles." She suddenly looked directly at him, her eyes unfocused. She raised her hand and reached out as if to touch him. "G-Giles? What? Can you hear me? God, can you even see me? No! Don't go!" Her hand dropped and her eyes closed. Her breath came in gasps.

Rupert stepped close to her. "What happened? Buffy, please. Tell me what you just saw." He put a finger under her chin and lifted until she looked up at him.

"Giles. My Giles. He was there. It was like he was superimposed over you. I could see him!"

"Could he see you?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I thought at first that he could, but I don't know." Her hands clenched. "I've got to get home!"

Rupert sighed. "I know. We'll figure this out somehow.

Buffy shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle. "I just wish I could shake the feeling that what happened to Brian was my fault somehow."

He shook his head. "Listen to me. You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No," she said harshly.

"Then you are not responsible."

"But it probably wouldn't have happened if I wasn't here," she whispered.

"You can't know that. You have to let that go or guilt will eat you alive. There are too many things in life that one may legitimately feel bad about. Don't add to your burden by accepting responsibility for things beyond your control." He met and held her gaze until she nodded. "I suppose we should decide what we'll tell the police before they arrive."

Buffy nodded and looked at him grimly. "Yeah. If the police in this Sunnydale are anything like the police in my Sunnydale we'll want our story straight all right. If they've had anywhere near the number of unsolved 'mysterious' deaths and disappearances here as we've had then they'll be looking for somebody to pin this on and we're the handiest scapegoats around."


	6. Chapter 6

"Buffy?" Giles raised his gaze from the book on the desk in front of him and frowned. What was that? He strained to catch the slight sound.

"What?" Xander asked. "Did you just call me Buffy?"

"Quiet!" Giles commanded in a low voice. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, but whatever it was eluded him. He shook his head and looked across his living room at Xander. "I thought for a moment that I heard Buffy." He pushed his glasses up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Giles," Xander said hesitantly, "are you okay? I mean, I know it's hard not knowing what's happening with Buff, but we're gonna get her back. We are." He looked earnestly at Giles.

Giles grimaced. "I'm all right. I heard something, Xander. I heard Buffy. At least, I think I did," he said wearily and rubbed his hand over his chin. He caught Xander's worried gaze and managed a small smile. "It's late. Everyone else has gone home. Why are you still here?"

Xander held up a thick book. "I hadn't finished looking through this one. I thought, well, I thought I could help." He looked directly at Giles as though challenging him.

Giles returned Xander's gaze unflinchingly and raised an eyebrow. "You have helped. You are helping. But I really think this will wait for tomorrow."

Xander closed the book. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"I'm trying to be positive-guy, you know? But it's tough." Xander stared down at his feet moodily. "I know you told Willow and the other Buffy that we'd find a way to reverse what happened. Give it to me straight, will ya? Are we going to get her back?"

Giles shrugged. "I don't know. I'm hopeful that it can be done. But I honestly can't give you a guarantee."

Xander searched his face. "What is it that's bothering you? 'Cause something is, isn't it?"

He sighed. "I'm troubled that I couldn't get the resonance spell to work. You'll recall that Buffy told me that she was seeing multiple images. Not just the original and a double. My fear is that she may have switched realities again. Perhaps even several times. If that is what's happened it would account for the failure of the spell."

Xander nodded slowly. "So, even if we somehow found this Buffy's reality and opened a doorway, the Buffy who walked through it might not be our Buffy?"

"That sums it up, I'd say," Giles replied. "It's one reason why I'm not sure opening a doorway is such a good idea. We need to find a way to ensure that all switches are reversed. And I don't know if that's even remotely possible."

"Couldn't we concentrate on getting our Buffy back and then figure out the other stuff later?"

"Too dangerous. And how fair would that be to the others? What if multiple switches have occurred and we can't undo them?"

Xander shook his head slowly. "Sorry Giles, but if we can't undo them then we can't. Does that mean we leave Buffy wherever she is just because we can't fix it for the rest? I don't buy it. Our priority has to be to bring Buff home."

"Of course. But it's incumbent upon us to at least try to find a way to switch all of them before giving up."

A stubborn expression crossed Xander's face. "But--"

"Xander," Giles said dryly, "go home. We don't even know if Buffy's switched realities again and I'm too tired to argue with you about something that's just a possibility." He gazed at the younger man steadily until Xander nodded.

"Okay, but call me if anything happens. And I'll be back tomorrow morning early." Xander caught Giles' eyes and said sheepishly, "Well, by noon anyway." He gathered up his things and headed out the door.

Giles couldn't shake the worry he felt over Buffy's fate and he hadn't wanted to admit to Xander how deep that worry was. With a frustrated oath he closed the book in front of him and stood up to pace the room. He was getting nowhere with his research and his desperation was nearly overwhelming. It was one thing to spend his nights worrying about Buffy while she was out patrolling or engaged in some other dangerous activity. At least she'd eventually check in with him to let him know she was all right. It was something altogether different to be nearly out of his mind with fear for her safety and not be able to reassure himself with her physical presence.

He started at the sound of a soft knock on his front door. He opened the door a crack and stepped back a half step in shock. "Angel!"

"Hello Giles. Mind if I come in?" Angel dipped his head and looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

Giles slowly opened the door and stepped aside. He forced himself to stand relaxed and ignore the twist in his gut while Angel walked through the doorway and into the living room. He pushed the door closed and folded his arms across his chest.

"What are you doing here?" he asked flatly.

Angel shoved his hands in the pockets of his black leather jacket. "Willow sent me email."

Giles sighed. "You know about what happened to Buffy." He made it a statement.

"I know she's missing. I haven't heard anything from Willow since that one email. What's happened?" Angel studied Giles' face carefully.

"We think she's been translated to an alternate reality."

"How?" Angel's brow twitched into a slight frown.

"Not sure, really." Giles shook his head and moved into the living room. He glanced at Angel's tense figure and said irritably, "Oh for god's sake sit down, will you?"

Angel perched on the edge of the couch. "Just what do you know? Maybe I can help. I have had some experience with this."

"What? Alternate realities?" Giles raised an eyebrow. "You didn't mention it last year."

"There wasn't any need. You knew about the spell Anya did and how to counteract it." Angel shrugged slightly. "But I've seen a few portals opened in my time."

Giles leaned one hand against the fireplace and stared down into the cold hearth, struggling with his emotions. Logically he knew that Angel was not Angelus, but his gut told him to grab a stake. His concern for Buffy finally won out over his antipathy toward the vampire. He spoke without turning to face him. "It wasn't a portal. At least not in the normal sense. Buffy physically switched places with her double from an alternate reality."

"Physically?" Angel sounded puzzled. "You mean one minute it was Buffy here and the next it was her double? What spell was used?"

Giles turned his head. His voice was bitter. "None that I know of. She was sitting right there on the couch talking to me when it happened. I wouldn't even have noticed if her double hadn't started screaming bloody murder."

"You saw it happen." Angel's voice was deceptively calm.

"No. We were talking when it happened, but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The only odd thing was that she looked at me just before the switch occurred. I should say that she looked in my direction. I think she may actually have been seeing a vision of my alternates. She reached her hand out and I believe that's when it happened." Giles turned around and leaned back against the mantle. He removed his glasses and let them dangle from his fingers.

"Your alternates? Giles, you've lost me." Angel shook his head.

"Buffy had been complaining of double vision, but what she was actually seeing was multiple versions of the same thing. I believe they were visions of alternate realities." Giles stared down at his feet.

Angel narrowed his eyes. "How could that be possible?"

"How the bloody hell should I know?" Giles shot back angrily. He stared belligerently at the vampire sitting on his couch.

"Calm down." Angel held up his hands. "I'm not accusing you of anything."

"I don't want to calm down. I've been calm and it hasn't helped," he replied with asperity.

"I'm here to help, remember?" Angel stood and made his way to the kitchen. "I'll make some tea."

Giles watched Angel's retreating back and fought down the hysterical laughter that threatened to bubble out of his mouth. The thought of the vampire making him tea in an effort to soothe his nerves struck directly at his sense of the bizarre. He told himself to get a grip. Angel had been trying to make things right ever since he'd returned from Hell. It might have been easier to put it all in the past if Angel hadn't fed off Buffy to save himself, Giles thought sourly. But he was willing to force his feelings aside if Angel could really help bring her home. He took a deep breath and turned his thoughts to the problem at hand.

Angel returned to the living room, a mug of tea in each hand. He handed one to Giles and then sat on the couch. "Look, Giles, I know my being here is hard for you, but I couldn't stay in Los Angeles not knowing what was happening. I couldn't gainsay you if you asked me to leave. But please, I need to be here as much as you do. I have to know what's going on. I really do just want to help. And it sounds like you could use all the help you can get." He looked up at Giles pleadingly.

Giles nodded slowly. "I won't deny that I find it difficult to be in the same room with you. And I have to fight like hell to keep how I feel bottled up when you're around. But I also know that you would do anything to keep Buffy safe. As much as I hate to admit it, we do have that in common. You're right, I could use your knowledge and your help. "

A small smile crossed Angel's face. "Thanks."

"For what?" Giles asked surprised. Hadn't he essentially just told the vampire that he'd as soon stake him as look at him?

"For allowing me to stay and help. For showing me once again just how much you care about Buffy." Angel stared down into his tea. "I know it's late. I'll head out now and let you get some sleep."

"Where are you going to stay?"

"The mansion."

Giles tilted his head to the side and steadily regarded the figure on the couch. He came to a swift decision and spoke abruptly before he had a chance to change his mind. "No. You can stay here." He held up a hand to stem Angel's protests. "The others will be here in the morning. It'll make things easier if we don't have to go find you. You can have the couch. I'll get a blanket." He could feel Angel's gaze following him as he walked to the linen closet. The incredulous expression on the vampire's face when he handed him the blanket was nearly enough in itself to silence the little voice screaming inside his skull about what a bloody lunatic he was for doing this.

"Are you sure you want me here?" Angel asked. "I really don't mind going to the mansion."

"It will be more efficient to have you stay here," Giles replied. "And now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." With that he turned to the stairs.

"I don't know how he can stand this," Angel muttered.

Giles smiled grimly to himself as he mounted the stairs.

 

Xander surprised Giles by arriving on his doorstep the next morning at nine o'clock, Anya in tow. "Hey," Xander said, feigning hurt, "this is more important than sleep." He flopped down in the corner of the couch and stretched his legs out in front of him.

"He thinks it's even more important than sex," Anya groused as she sat down on the couch next to him. She caught their expressions and added, "What? What did I say now?"

Xander sighed. "Remember that conversation we had about things that were supposed to be private? Well, private means just between you and me."

She gestured to Giles and Angel. "But they're your friends. You tell them all kinds of private things." She frowned.

He shook his head. "In the first place, they're our friends, not my friends. In the second place, I only tell them the private things that I choose to tell them. Not that I'm trying to keep secrets, but some things shouldn't be said. I mean, I'm sure they really don't want to know about our sex life."

"Please," Giles said fervently from where he sat on the chair.

"But," Anya asked in confusion, "why not?"

"Just trust me on this, okay?" Xander raised his eyebrows.

"All these stupid rules about what I can say and who I can say it to," Anya said. "How can you keep it all straight. No wonder I always had so much work as a demon."

Angel stood by the mantle and turned to stare down into the fireplace, hiding an amused smile. It wouldn't do for Xander to think he was laughing at his expense. So this was the former demon that Willow had sent him email about, he thought. It seemed that Anya was still having some trouble with the transition to being human. And how did Xander end up together with her, he wondered? Willow hadn't mentioned that development in her email messages.

"So," Xander asked, "where do we start today?"

Angel turned from the fireplace to face them. "I've been thinking about what Giles said last night about Buffy's visions. Has it occurred to you that this could be a side effect of destroying the Emerald?"

Giles nodded. "Yes. But I can't find anything that can corroborate that suspicion. If it does have to do with the Emerald, it may be even more complicated. I'm afraid it may be tied up with the Dagger as well."

Angel stared at him and said sharply, "The Dagger? What does the Dagger have to do with it?"

"Wait a minute," Anya interrupted, frowning. "What emerald? What dagger? What are you talking about?" She looked from Giles to Xander in confusion.

Xander glanced at Giles and then said hesitantly, "Okay. Reader's Digest version. It was something that happened while you were out of town. Buffy fought a vampire who stabbed her with the Dagger of the Thrice Greatest. And then she had to kill a demon called the Destroyer to prevent him from using Giles' blood and something called the Emerald Tablet to destroy the barriers between our reality and the Hellmouth. Short story, Buffy destroyed the Emerald."

Anya looked at Giles and frowned. "How did you reverse the effects of the Dagger?"

"The Spell of Completion," he replied shortly.

"And she destroyed the Emerald? You're positive?"

"Yes. Why? You seem quite familiar with all this." Giles tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

Anya closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "I ran into a sorceress who went by the name of Zosima in Europe in the 1500's. She was searching for the Emerald Tablet. That was actually kind of a fun time. There was this peasant girl in the Loire Valley who wished that--"

"About the Emerald," Xander interrupted. "and this Zosima?"

Anya darted a quick glance around the room. "Oh. Well, she wanted to travel. You know, to other dimensions. She was convinced that the Emerald would allow her to do that."

"And?" Giles held his hands palm up as if to say is that all?

"And," she replied, "she'd done a lot of research. About the Emerald Tablet and the Dagger. They were connected. Not just because they both belonged to the Destroyer. There was a deeper magical connection. She didn't want anything to do with the Dagger because it was so dangerous to handle. But she thought it might be used for the same kind of dimensional travel as the Emerald."

"Okay," Xander drawled the word. "And what does that have to do with Buffy?"

Anya frowned. "You said she'd been wounded with the Dagger."

"And cured." Xander frowned. "She was cured, right Giles?"

"Yes," Giles said, "the Spell of Completion was successful. The Dagger's magic was removed from her."

"How did she destroy the Emerald?" Anya asked.

"With the Dagger." Xander grinned. "You shoulda seen it. She stabbed it right into the center of that big green stone. It's kinda weird, though. I remember seeing the Dagger go into the Emerald and then it's like everything got all jumbled up. The next thing I remember was Buffy standing next to Will and me, helping us free Giles."

"Free Giles?" Angel asked quietly, causing them to jump. He smiled to himself. He'd been silent and still for so long that they'd obviously forgotten he was there.

Xander looked uncomfortable. "Yeah. Uh, the Destroyer needed Giles' blood for his spell."

Giles looked away and said, "At any rate, Buffy destroyed the Emerald."

Angel stepped forward, drawing their attention. "What if the Dagger left her vulnerable to the Emerald's magic? And it somehow transferred it's magic to her when she destroyed it?"

Giles sucked in his breath. "That's a possibility I hadn't considered. We need Willow. Buffy has been avoiding me the last few weeks, but perhaps she told Willow something that will help us."

"Where is Will, anyway?" Xander asked. "I'm surprised she's not here."

"I believe Oz was returning," Giles said. "I wouldn't expect to see her until later."

"Oz is staying in L.A.," said Angel. "He dropped by the office yesterday and mentioned that the Dingoes' were offered a contract to play at three clubs on a rotating basis for the next three months." He watched Xander and Giles exchange a troubled look. "What? Something's wrong."

Xander sighed. "I hope Oz explained all this to Will. After how she felt when he took off last fall, I'm afraid she's not going to take this very well."

"What do you mean, 'took off last fall?" Angel asked. "Willow didn't mention any of this in her emails." How many other things had happened to them that he needed to know, he wondered?

Giles bowed his head. "There were some...difficulties. I'll let Willow decide if she wishes to tell you about them. Suffice it to say she went through a lot of pain. I can only hope that she'll understand that this situation is not the same."

"Understanding isn't the same as feeling," Anya said.

Xander gave her a half smile. "That's true. She'll understand his decision, but she may have a hard time dealing." He turned to Giles. "Maybe Anya and I should go over to her dorm and see how she's doing. Bring her and Buffy back."

Giles nodded.

"Buffy?" Angel was completely confused. "I don't understand."

"Buffy's double," Xander said. "She's staying with Willow at the dorm."

"Oh." That made sense, Angel thought. "Does she know about me?"

"Who? Buffy's double?" Xander asked. "Maybe. Will told her a bunch of stories about Buffy and us, but I think she was editing them some."

"Xander, you and Anya go and get them," Giles said. "We can sit here and speculate all day. We need to confirm if any of these theories are true."

Xander stood, pulling Anya up with him. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

When the door closed behind them, Angel turned to Giles and said, "We need to talk."


	7. Chapter 7

"Dead?" Willow asked again anxiously. "Are you sure it was Professor Callahan? You said his face was m-mutilated. Couldn't it have been someone else?"

Xander placed his arm around Willow's shoulders and maneuvered her into a chair. He scowled at Buffy. "She seems pretty sure it was him, Will. What was he doing in your dorm room, anyway?"

"It isn't my dorm room. And he was there because the Buffy that belongs in your reality was dating him." Buffy looked at them sadly. She'd known telling them would be harder than talking to the police, but there was no way around it. It felt like Jesse all over again. Just like when he'd been taken and she'd had to explain to her new friends that vampires and demons exist, destroying any possibility of their living a normal life from that moment forward.

"B-but I'm taking a class from Professor Callahan. I didn't know he was dating you, um, her," Willow stammered.

Buffy sighed. "I'm sorry Willow. I don't know what to tell you other than what I told Rupert. I had a run-in with him just before I left for the lecture. He was mean and abusive, and from the way the kids on the dorm floor reacted when I told him off, I'd say that was a regular thing with him."

"So, you're saying he deserved to die because he was a jerk?" Xander asked harshly.

She shook her head. "No. Nobody deserves to die like that. And I don't kill people, only vampires and demons. I'm just telling you what little I know."

"Who did kill him?" Willow looked up at Buffy with wide eyes.

"What, not who," she replied. "It was a demon. I'd stake my reputation as the Slayer on it." She sank down onto the couch.

"How can you be sure?"

Buffy swallowed and looked down at her hands. "Trust me when I say I'm sure. There was so much blood. And those markings on his face. Whatever did that took pleasure in it."

"Couldn't it have been some maniac? Like with an occult fetish or something?" Xander asked quietly. He sat down next to Willow and took her hand.

Buffy gave him a half-smile. At least he sounded like he was starting to believe her. "It could, but I don't think so. It isn't that I don't think humans can be evil and depraved or anything. It's just that there was a certain feel about it. Normally I only get 'feelings' like that when there's a vamp or demon nearby. This time I felt something strange when we got to the door. Whatever this is, it's strong if it can leave behind something I can sense after it's gone." She shuddered slightly.

The silence stretched between them until Buffy thought they'd run out of questions. Then Willow asked, "How do we kill it?"

Buffy looked at her sharply. "We don't. I do. I don't want you guys anywhere near it."

Willow's expression changed into what Buffy recognized as her Will's resolve face. "This thing, whatever it is, is loose in our world. Maybe there are other things like it out there. I can't know about it and not try to do something to stop it."

Buffy sighed to herself. Had she really expected anything else? But then, maybe she'd learned something from her friends over the years, she thought. It would be a mistake to try to keep them from helping. "Of course not. I know you have to help, I'm just saying that when the time comes to fight this thing and kill it that I want you to leave that to me. I don't want to see either of you get hurt. But we don't even know what it is yet or how to find it. That's where you can really help."

Xander nodded. "She's right, Will. We need to know more before we go rushing off to do battle."

Buffy smiled as Willow turned to him in surprise. She dug the piece of paper out of her pocket and held it out to the redhead. "And I don't know anyone better at getting the answers we need than you."

Willow took the paper and examined it curiously. "What's this?"

"Those are the marks that were on Brian's face," Buffy said quietly.

Willow took a deep breath and slowly released it. "You think they're a clue?"

"Uh-huh." Buffy nodded. "They look vaguely familiar, but I can't think where I've seen them."

"You don't think they're just random designs?" Xander asked.

"No. It's taken me a long time, but I've learned to trust my instincts," she said dryly. "Those mean something."

"Okay," Willow said. "I'll go online and see what I can find. When's Dr. Giles coming back?" She stood and walked over to the desk and plugged her laptop into the network port.

"Yeah. Where is he, anyway?" Xander added.

Buffy shook her head. "Don't know. He gave me the key in the lobby and said he had something to take care of and he'd get another one of those little elevator keys from the desk. I thought he'd be right up." She shrugged.

Just where was he, she wondered uneasily? He'd been nearly silent on the ride back to the hotel in the squad car. The police had insisted on accompanying them so they could ask their questions of Willow and Xander before Buffy and Rupert had a chance to talk to them. They'd changed their minds when it turned out the hotel had a policy of locking the front door between 11:00pm and 5:00am. The only way in or out during that time was for someone from the front desk to unlock the door. And the door had remained locked the entire time. From the state of the body the Medical Examiner had made a preliminary estimate of the time of death at between 2:00am and 3:00am. The police had reluctantly concluded that Rupert and Buffy weren't involved; though they'd admonished the two of them to remain available in case the M.E. revised his time of death after the autopsy.

Xander wandered over to stand behind Willow's chair and put a hand on her shoulder. Buffy watched the two of them and thought about how much they were like her friends, and yet there were subtle differences. She swallowed hard and fought back the worry for her friends that she felt. Weary to the bone, she leaned back against the couch and fell asleep trying to remember where she'd seen the markings on Brian Callahan's face.

 

 

Buffy drifted in and out of meaningless dreams. Some of the dreams were funny little vignettes of odd behavior such as Xander wearing one of Willow's funky hats and reciting the Declaration of Independence in Swahili with one hand placed over his heart. Though how she recognized that it was the Declaration of Independence when she didn't speak Swahili, she wasn't quite sure. And then she felt the dream change, as if her unconscious awareness recognized that something important was coming.

Buffy looked up at the dome and realized why it was known as the Dome of Heaven. Half of it had been painted to represent a bright blue sky; the other half was a stylized starry night.

The vampires drew arcane symbols on the floor under the dome in front of the desecrated altar, surrounding the metal rings, trough, and depression. The Destroyer reached down beside the pulpit and picked up the Emerald. He held it reverently over his head, muttering words he read from the book in front of him. He handed the Stone to one of the acolytes who placed it in the depression. Another vampire roughly wiped a cloth back and forth across Giles' chest, soaking up his blood and causing him to twitch and whimper.

Buffy knew she had to reach him, but her arms and legs refused to obey her brain's command to move. Part of her knew that this was just a dream, that she'd already defeated the Destroyer and that Giles was safe. But her intuition also told her that she still had something that she had to do. Suddenly her perception shifted and she was staring down at a large book. The pages in front of her were covered with old-fashioned type and strange designs. She reached out to touch the book and flinched at the sight of large claw-tipped blue hands. She turned her hands over and watched in fascination as those demon-hands turned palm up. Well this is new, she thought. She glanced again at the pages and a thrill went through her. The designs! She lifted her heavy demon-head and stared at the floor under the dome. The symbols were the same as the designs in the book.

 

 

Buffy awoke with a start. She sat up on the couch and waited for her racing pulse to calm.

"Something wrong?" Xander asked as he glanced at her curiously from the desk. He'd pulled up a chair next to Willow's after Buffy had fallen asleep.

"No," she replied. "Actually something's very right. I know where I've seen those marks. They're the same symbols I saw the vampires draw around the Emerald when the Destroyer was trying to cast a spell to remove the barriers between my world and Hell. I just had a dream where I was back there again and I saw them. I also saw them in the book that the Destroyer had."

"The Destroyer?" Xander asked. "What's the Destroyer?"

"One of the nastier demons I've faced." Buffy shivered at the memory of what had nearly happened. "I fought him a few weeks ago. It wasn't easy. And he had this big green magical stone called the Emerald Tablet."

"What was the book?" Willow asked. "Maybe we could find the same one and see what the symbols mean."

"It was called the Hammer-something." Buffy frowned in frustration. She closed her eyes and concentrated. In triumph she said, "I remember. It was _Hell's Hammer_. But it was in Latin."

"Latin? _Hell's Hammer_?" Willow bit her lip. "Was it, um, _Malleus Abyssum_?"

"That's it!" Buffy exclaimed. "I didn't know you knew Latin."

Willow looked at her curiously. "Two years of Latin or classical Greek are required in High School if you plan to go to college. I enjoyed Latin."

"Yeah. She liked it so much she took four years of it," Xander said dryly.

"Yikes! That's different. It's a good thing we didn't have that requirement. I had a hard enough time with two years of Spanish." Buffy smiled. This really was a different world, she thought. "But I'm glad you know it. Now we just need to find out if this Hammer-book exists here."

Willow nodded. "I'll start a search for the _Malleus_ on the Internet. If it exists, I'll find it."

"What happened to the book in your reality after you fought this Destroyer?" Xander asked.

She shook her head. "I don't really know. I managed to help free Giles but we were both pretty out of it at the end of the fight. I guess Willow, Oz and Xander handled the cleanup. I just assumed that Willow gave the book to Giles for his collection."

Buffy felt Xander's eyes on her while she watched Willow work at the laptop. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Xander shrugged. "Just curious, I guess. So, you and, um, Willow and Xander are friends? And they help you with your, uh, slaying?"

"That's right." She wondered where he was going with this.

He cocked his head to the side. "Are they good at it?"

Buffy frowned. "Good at what? Fighting vampires and demons?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. They've gotten pretty good at it. They've saved my life more than once." She sighed. "And my sanity even more often. They're my best friends."

"Who's this Oz person?"

Buffy glanced from Willow back to Xander. "Oz? Well, actually he and my Willow sort of have a...a thing."

"A thing?" Xander asked suspiciously. "What's that mean exactly? Who is he?"

"You know, a thing. They date. Oz is a musician."

Willow turned from her laptop. "A musician? Cool. I wonder if there's an Oz around here."

"Who knows?" Buffy smothered a grin when she saw Xander narrow his eyes. "'Course the Oz in my world also happens to be a werewolf. You might want to be careful if you do find him."

"Better yet, just don't look," Xander muttered darkly.

Willow rolled her eyes and turned back to the computer. Buffy stood and stretched. It was the first time since she'd woken up on the park bench that she didn't feel anxious on some level. Maybe it was the teasing conversation with Xander and Willow, she thought. It was so familiar, like so many talks she'd had with her friends, that it put her at ease. She wandered to the balcony windows. The sky was bright blue and cloudless. A perfect day in Southern California. How many perfect days had she seen in the last few years that had been followed by nights filled with terror? She shook her head as if that would rid it of such thoughts.

"Got it!" Willow exclaimed suddenly.

Buffy turned from the view. "The Hammer?" she asked eagerly.

"Uh-huh," Willow replied without taking her eyes from the computer. She scrolled the browser, intent on what she was reading. "Whoa. Talk about luck!"

Buffy crossed the room to stand next to the redhead. "What?"

Willow looked up, eyes wide. "The _Malleus Abyssum_ is part of an exhibit of religious artifacts from ancient to contemporary times that's currently on loan to the UC Sunnydale Department of Anthropology. It's part of the 'Religion and Superstition' section. The exhibit is currently being shown at the Sunnydale Museum. It's supposed to move to San Francisco next week."

"That's wild. Talk about your coincidences," Xander said.

Buffy shook her head. "I don't believe in coincidence. We have to see that book."

Willow glanced from Buffy to Xander. "The Museum's open until 6:00 tonight. That's another four hours."

Xander stood up. "Look. I don't know about you guys, but I really need to go home. Take a break. Get cleaned up. You know?"

Buffy nodded and glanced down at herself ruefully. "Yeah. I know. The thing this morning with the police and all kind of put a damper on my getting some clean clothes. The least I can do is take a shower before I go back out in public. How about you write down the address and we meet at the Museum at 5:00? An hour should be plenty of time to get what we need."

"What about Dr. Giles?" Willow asked. "Won't he want to be there?"

Buffy shrugged. "Hopefully he'll be back before I need to leave. But if he isn't then we'll just have to handle it by ourselves. It's not like we're planning on breaking and entering. We're just gonna visit a Museum." And if those aren't famous last words I don't know my jinxes she thought in dismay.

"Well, okay," Willow said doubtfully. She shutdown her laptop and put it away in her backpack. She stood and slung the strap over her shoulder. "We'll see you at the Museum."

Buffy closed the door behind them. The thought of a long hot shower made her quicken her steps through the bedroom to the bath. It was quite a hotel suite. The other bathroom had a funny shaped tub that she thought was probably a Jacuzzi, but no shower. She turned the handles on the faucets to full and stripped quickly, leaving the dirty clothes in a pile in the middle of the bathroom floor. She wrinkled her nose at the idea of putting them back on after her shower, but she really didn't have a choice. It was that or nothing and somehow she didn't think she was ready for a foray into nudism. Steam started to billow from behind the glass doors of the shower and she stepped under the hot spray with an audible sigh of contentment.

 

 

Buffy stepped out of the shower. She twisted the excess water out of her hair and picked up a towel to dry off. The pile of clothes on the floor looked even less appealing now that she was clean. Hanging on the inside of the door was a white terrycloth bathrobe provided by the hotel. Acting on impulse, Buffy pulled it down and wrapped it around her. The one-size-fits-all robe was far too large for her tiny frame. Feeling slightly ridiculous she rolled up the sleeves, but she couldn't do anything about the length. It dragged on the ground, threatening to trip her if she wasn't careful where she stepped.

Rupert opened the door to the bedroom and stepped through just as Buffy walked through the door to the adjoining bath. They halted and stared at each other for a long moment.

She was the first to break the silence that stretched between them, clearing her throat nervously. "I, ah, hope you don't mind. I really needed a shower." She tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows. It's just Giles, so why does he make me so nervous she wondered? No, she thought. He's not Giles. He's Rupert. And even if she mostly forgot that, something in her subconscious kept reminding her of the truth.

Rupert seemed amused. He shook his head slightly. "Not at all. I'm sorry we didn't get you any clothes while we were out this morning." He glanced around the bedroom. "I'm afraid my jeans would be far too large for you, so I can't be of much help there. However, if you don't mind an oversized shirt, I believe I have a T-shirt I could loan you."

"S-sure. That would be fine." She glanced down, refusing to meet his eyes.

Rupert opened one of the dresser drawers and lifted out a dark blue T-shirt. He handed it to her and returned to the sitting room, allowing her some privacy. She shrugged out of the bathrobe and pulled the heavy cotton shirt over her head. It hung loosely on her; the arms fell below her elbows and the hem hit her knees leaving her calves bare. She made a quick decision and decided not to bother with her jeans. She pushed her damp hair away from her face and let it fall down her back.

Rupert glanced up when she came through the bedroom door and walked toward the couch, a speculative gleam in his eyes.

She sat down slowly and clasped her hands demurely on her lap. "Thanks for the shirt," she said quietly.

"My pleasure, believe me. I've never looked quite so good in it." A corner of Rupert's mouth quirked up. "What happened to Willow and Xander?"

Buffy felt the color rise in her cheeks and carefully kept her gaze on her hands. "They needed a break and wanted to get cleaned up. We made some progress while you were gone. The markings that were on Brian's face are in a book called the _Malleus Abyssum_. Willow found out that it's part of some traveling exhibit that's at the Sunnydale Museum right now. We planned to meet there at 5:00." She glanced up at him and was surprised to see him frowning. "What is it?"

"Are you sure the _Malleus Abyssum_ is the right book?"

She nodded. "Yep. Remember the Destroyer? The demon I told you about? That's the book of spells he was using. I dreamt about it and the symbols. I knew I'd seen them somewhere."

"I've heard of the _Malleus_, Buffy," he said. "I've come across references to it during my research. It's unusual in that it's at the center of superstitions from many varied cultures. If it is the same book that you're familiar with, then we had better take those superstitions very seriously."

"I always take this stuff seriously. okay, the puns are just to lighten the doom and gloom atmosphere. When it comes to the actual fighting I'm all-Slayer." She smiled. "Where have you been, anyway?"

He shifted uncomfortably and said, "I thought we might need help."

Her eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"Ah, well you see, I contacted a friend of mine who lives in Berkeley. I had planned on visiting him after I was finished here in Sunnydale. I asked him to meet me here."

Buffy frowned. "Berkeley? Isn't that near San Francisco? That's where the exhibit that contains the _Malleus_ is going next. Just who is this friend of yours?"

Rupert cleared his throat. "He's a quirky little chap I met a few years ago in London. He has a strong interest in the occult and a strange sort of view of the world. At least I thought it was strange until today. Which is why I called him. He should be here sometime tomorrow."

Buffy felt a prick of apprehension. Enunciating each word carefully as if he were a bit slow she asked, "What is his name?"

"Doyle."


	8. Chapter 8

His hands supported his weight as Giles leaned against the counter. He stared unseeing at the dirty plates in the bottom of the sink while his attention focused on the conversation taking place in his living room. His mind supplied familiar facial expressions to match the emotions swirling behind the words as easily as if he were sitting out there with the others. The hushed voices were clear, though his young friends had waited until he'd left the room before expressing the fears they obviously felt they should conceal from him. Staying in the kitchen was cowardly he knew, but his own weariness and fear made him reluctant to return and face their need for reassurance.

"He looks so tired." Willow's quiet voice floated to him. "I don't think he's sleeping."

"He didn't sleep much last night," Angel's soft voice replied.

"You stayed here last night?" Giles grimaced at the disbelief in Xander's voice.

"He insisted."

"How could you?" Xander's voice was flat and accusing.

"Xander, just stop. If Giles is okay with it, leave it alone." Giles' mouth quirked in a half-grin. It amazed him that even when speaking in a near whisper Willow could manage to sound commanding.

"Will--"

"Don't you 'Will' me, Xander Harris! The last thing he needs is for you to get all bent out of shape." Giles easily pictured Willow with her resolve face on. A long pause ensued.

"Do you think he really believes we can find her?" Xander asked softly, breaking the silence.

"Yes." Angel's one word answer brooked no disagreement.

"Still," Willow drew the word out. "I'm worried about him."

Giles straightened with a sigh. Time to rejoin them before he heard something he truly regretted. He turned and stepped out of the kitchen, effectively silencing the soft conversation.

"Thanks for lunch," Willow said with a smile.

"Yeah," Xander chimed in quickly. "I've never had that moose-whatever before. Pretty tasty for something not pizza."

"I'm glad I had enough leftovers," Giles said dryly. "I fear I'll have had more than my fill of pizza before this is over."

"Hey! Pizza is one of the four major food groups. Get enough toppings and you could live on a pizza diet." Xander grinned.

"No. You could live on a diet of pizza. I, for one, would rather starve." Giles sat at the chair next to the couch, smiling slightly to take the sting out of his words.

"No chance of that," Xander replied. "Willow wouldn't allow it. Ow! What'd I say now?" He shot her a wounded look.

Five heads swiveled at the sound of muffled giggles coming from the blonde sitting on the weapons chest in front of the window next to the fireplace. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh." Buffy's eyes danced with humor, belying her words.

Angel surprised Giles by smiling. "Don't worry about it. Around this group you'll find the wisecracks flying fast and furious when things get tense. It's a defense mechanism they've got down pat. I've been tempted more than once to burst out laughing at the oddest moments."

Giles eyebrows raised as he regarded the vampire quizzically. Had he ever heard Angel laugh, he wondered? He suddenly paled as the echo of an evil-sounding chuckle drifted through his mind accompanied by a demand to say when it hurt. Hands clenched tightly in front of him, Giles closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. He couldn't afford to let the past throw him off balance now. Forcing his emotions under control again he opened his eyes, only to find himself staring into an eerily familiar blue gaze. After a moment Buffy lowered her eyes, her cheeks flushed. Giles frowned slightly and wondered what was going through her head.

"Earth to Giles. Hey, Giles!" Xander reached out and rapidly snapped his fingers under Giles' nose.

Giles reacted quickly and grabbed Xander's hand, squeezing until the younger man yelped in pain.

"Hey! Let go!" Xander shook his hand and rubbed the base of his thumb. "What'd you do that for?"

Giles raised an eyebrow and said mildly, "Don't do that again."

"Jeez. Sorry." Xander looked aggrieved for a moment and then grinned. "But at least I got your attention. You really spaced out there for a second."

Giles grunted and relaxed back in his chair. Xander didn't know the half of it and that was probably just as well, he thought.

"Giles?" Willow's soft voice was colored with her concern for him.

He smiled reassuringly. "I'm all right, Willow. Just lost in thought for a moment."

"I think we should start with the Dagger," Anya said suddenly.

"Why?" Giles asked.

"Because we should."

Giles pursed his lips in annoyance. "Surely you have a reason for suggesting it?"

She shook her head. "I don't know why, okay? It just feels right to me."

"Can't you be more specific? I'm afraid that 'it just feels right' is hardly enough to base a decision on."

Anya turned to Xander. "You said Buffy was wounded with the Dagger, right?"

"Yeah. So?" Xander shook his head slowly in confusion.

"So, you had to do the Spell of Completion. That's a very powerful spell. Whatever this is, it probably started then." Anya swiveled on the couch to look at Willow. "When your souls combined and pushed the magic out of Buffy's system, did you feel or hear anything?"

"Uh, Anya?" Xander looked at his girlfriend strangely.

"What?"

"Why do you think Willow's the one who did the spell?"

"Because she's Buffy's best friend and a witch. If Willow wasn't the center, who was?" Her face mirrored her confusion.

"Giles." Angel's voice held a quiet certainty.

"Giles?" Anya glanced at the Watcher curiously. "You performed the Completion?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Her voice conveyed a wealth of possibilities.

"Oh what?" Xander asked with a frown.

"Just oh."

"If you know something you need to tell us," Willow said.

"There's nothing to tell," Anya replied irritably. "Nothing that matters. It's the fact of the spell that counts. It changes things. If I'd thought of this before it could have saved us time."

"What do you mean? How does it change things?" Xander narrowed his eyes.

"Well," she said, oblivious to the stares of the others, "for one thing, Giles should be able to find Buffy with simple magic."

"How?" Giles asked.

"She carries part of you with her. Think of it as being like a magnet. If you concentrate hard enough you should be able to feel the pull, even across dimensions." Anya frowned. "Haven't you noticed a difference since the spell?"

"I can't say that I have. Of course, I haven't seen much of Buffy recently." Giles shrugged.

"What kind of a difference are we talking about?" Willow asked.

"It could be many things." Anya raised her hands in a half-shrug. "Simple things like anticipating her walking into a room before she actually does. Or knowing it's her on the phone when it rings. Or it could be deeper, like feeling pain when she's wounded. It's hard to tell exactly how it might manifest."

"So, any of those things been happening?" Xander rested his arm along the back of the couch and looked over at Giles.

"I...I'm not sure, really. Some of those types of things have always been part of our relationship." Giles could feel the heat rising in his face and hurried to explain. "I mean, the nature of the bond between a Watcher and a Slayer sometimes defies logic. And Buffy and I have been together, or rather have worked together, for a comparatively long time as such things go. There's bound to be a certain amount of, that is, I suppose it's only natural that we..." His words trailed off in confusion. He glanced away from Xander's grin to find Willow smiling gently at him. Embarrassed, he turned and caught a speculative expression on Angel's face before the vampire carefully schooled his features to impassivity.

"I don't get it," Anya said. "Are you saying that you have noticed those kinds of things or that you haven't?"

Xander coughed. "I think he's saying that what you're describing happens sometimes anyway. Isn't there anything else?"

Anya shrugged. "I don't know. I've only ever met one other person who had performed the Completion. All she told me was that her awareness of the other person in the spell was heightened. And that it continued to grow. She didn't go into a lot of details. But I don't know if that's a normal side effect or if it's just what happened to them."

"Maybe if we try the resonance spell on Giles we'll have better luck than he had doing the spell on Buffy," Willow said. She turned to Giles eagerly. "What do you think?"

He considered her suggestion. It had merit and it might be a way to tell if Anya was correct, but he didn't think the spells he'd been using on Buffy would be any more effective on him. "It's possible. But I think we'll try a different spell. Willow, fetch the _Malleus Abyssum_ would you please? I believe I recall something in it that may be useful."

"The _Malleus_?" Willow asked fearfully. "Are you sure you should be doing a spell from the _Malleus_? Isn't that like the blackest of the black arts? Won't that be dangerous?"

"All magic is dangerous. There's nothing inherently evil about the _Malleus_. It should be all right as long as we're careful."

Willow frowned at him, but went to the bookcase and carefully drew the large volume off the top shelf.

He smiled his thanks as she reluctantly handed him the heavy book and stood in front of him. Giles turned the stiff vellum pages until he came to the spell he wanted. He turned the book and held it out to Willow to read.

She read through the spell, occasionally murmuring softly. Willow looked up at him with wide eyes. "Are you sure you want to try this?" she asked doubtfully. She sat down heavily on the couch.

"Why?" Xander asked. He sat forward on the couch and looked sharply at Giles. "What is it?"

"It's a translocation spell," Giles said softly.

Xander looked at Willow and asked, "Trans-what? What does that mean?"

Without taking her eyes from Giles, Willow replied, "Translocation. It's supposed to find something or someone and bring the object of the spell to the caster."

"That's good, right? I mean, the spell finds our Buffy and brings her home. What could be better?" Xander glanced around the room. "Oh."

"Yes," Giles said. "There will be two of them. But perhaps we will be able to modify the spell to 'remember' the reality where we found our Buffy. Then once we have her back we can cast another spell to send this Buffy home."

Xander frowned. "Not to poop the party, but what about all that stuff you said before about if Buffy has jumped realities again?"

"I've changed my mind. We should be able to sort that all out once we have her home." Giles gave him a hard look.

Xander grinned. "Now that's the kind of rationalization I can get behind."

"Sounds like the only option," Angel added softly.

Willow continued to look undecided. Giles held her gaze and asked softly, "Let's try, shall we?"

She gave a tiny shrug and nodded.

Giles breathed deeply and allowed himself to relax. Her power in magic had been slowly growing all winter and he knew he'd need all of it joined with his for the spell to succeed. "Good. Now we have to figure out how best to modify this spell and gather all the accoutrements."

"May I see it?" Angel asked.

Giles nodded once and handed the _Malleus_ to the vampire. He watched as Angel quickly skimmed the passage. Whatever Angel thought was well hidden behind his calm mask. Giles silently accepted the book when Angel was done with it.

"That's a complex spell," Angel said. "You'll need room to perform it."

Giles nodded. "The living room should be large enough. We can move the furniture and roll up the carpet."

"We've done it before," Willow added.

Angel shook his head. "You don't understand. You're going to want space. If something goes wrong...well, I doubt you want to put your neighbors at risk. I'd suggest doing this at the mansion."

Giles hesitated for a long moment and then said, "You're right, of course. I hadn't thought of the mansion. It would make sense to perform the spell there."

"Great," Xander said sourly. "Then if things go wrong it'll just be us that have to deal with it. What else is new?"

Angel leaned against the mantle over the fireplace. "I'd suggest using _Meek's Compendium_ for the spell addition. There are one or two locator spells listed in it that should do the trick."

"Oh! I have that one!" Willow jumped up from the couch. "It's at the dorm. I'll go get it." She headed for the door.

"Wait," Giles called, stopping her flight. "Let me put together a list of the items we'll need that I don't have. Xander, you and Anya go with Willow. You can pick stop at the magic shop for the things that Willow doesn't have. When you have everything, meet us at the mansion. I'll see that Angel gets there safely."

"What about me?" Buffy asked softly. "Isn't there something I can do? I feel like I'm just in the way and you're all trying to help me. okay, you're trying to get your friend back and helping me is just a side note, but hey, I still appreciate it."

Giles smiled. "Why don't you go with Willow? I'm sure she can use your help in gathering all the supplies together."

Buffy nodded and followed the others out the front door.

Giles turned his attention to Angel. "Did I imagine it or did I hear a qualification in your voice?"

Angel nodded. "You didn't imagine it. I'm not sure this is a great idea. There are too many variables, too many things that could go wrong."

Giles frowned. "Of course there are. This is Sunnydale, after all."

"Don't get me wrong. I don't have anything else to suggest. And that's why I didn't say anything while the others were here. The whole idea of using something out of the _Malleus_ makes me very uneasy. Willow didn't seem all that happy about it either." Angel pushed himself away from the mantle and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"I know. Believe me, if I could think of anything else to try at this point I wouldn't touch the _Malleus_ either. I know the dangers of using it as well as you. In fact, I'd rather you helped with the actual spell instead of Willow. I'll need Willow's power, of course, but I'd feel better if she concentrated on channeling it to me rather than participating in the spell."

"She's not going to like that," Angel warned.

"Yes. Well, we'll face that when the time comes."

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Rupert Giles stood in front of the case and looked down at the large leather-bound book prominently displayed under the cold glass. It was only one of several in the case, all part of the "Superstition" section of the "Religion and Superstition" exhibit at the Museum. The _Malleus Abyssum_ stood out from the others, not only for its sheer size, but also because it was the oldest of the volumes in the case.

What was he doing here, he wondered? The image of Brian Callahan's mutilated body sprawled across the bed in Buffy's dorm room rose unbidden before his mind's eye. He shivered slightly and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Whether the murder was truly caused by something supernatural or the work of some crazed killer, the overpowering sense of evil that pervaded that dorm room was similar to what he imagined he felt emanating from the _Malleus_ in front of him. He shook his head and mentally chided himself for getting caught up in the supernatural ambiance of his surroundings. He looked up to see the others approaching from the side entrance and turned to greet them.

"We were able to find the rest of the stuff Willow said she needed," Xander said softly when they stopped in front of him.

Rupert frowned. "I still don't think this is wise. We don't know how, or even if, magic works in this place. To try something like this in the middle of a public room is risky. At best we'll be asked to leave for causing a nuisance. At worst, something unexpected will happen. Why you expect your first spell to work perfectly, or at all, is beyond me."

Willow blushed lightly. "I d-don't know if it will work," she stuttered softly. "But it didn't seem like it would be a difficult spell to do. If it works we can walk out of here with the _Malleus_ in plain view and nobody will stop us. I thought it was worth a shot."

Buffy shot a warning look at Rupert and placed her hand on Willow's arm. "Of course it is. I think it's a great idea, Will. So, what do you need us to do?"

Willow smiled gratefully at Buffy. "Just watch the door to this room and let me know when someone's coming. It would probably be better to do this while we're the only ones in the room." She glanced apologetically at Rupert. "Just in case."

"Okay," Buffy replied. She wandered over to the doorway and pretended to be interested in a small case of Christian relics dating from the fifth century. When the last of the visitors straggled out of the room she leaned against the wall and looked out into the corridor.

"Xander, did you remember to bring a replacement book?" Willow asked.

"Yep." Xander grinned and held out a paperback novel. "You said it didn't have to be the same size, right?"

"Right." Willow took the paperback, turned it over to look at the front cover curiously and then quickly flipped it upside down. Rupert watched with interest as her face turned an interesting shade of red. "Xander Harris! How could you?" The words were indignant but her voice held a hint of humor.

"How could he what?" Buffy asked from the doorway.

"He gave me a pornographic novel to use as the replacement!" Willow couldn't maintain her indignation and started giggling.

Buffy snorted with laughter.

"I'm hurt," Xander said with mock dignity. "It's not pornographic. It's one of those romance novels that are so popular. Can I help it if the cover is, uh, well, you know..." He trailed off, seemingly at a loss for an appropriate description.

Rupert reached out and plucked the book from Willow's hand. He examined the cover and said dryly, "I think the word you're searching for is 'explicit'." He handed it back to Willow with a wink.

She shook her head at Xander and turned to Buffy. "Anyone coming?"

"Nope. Since it's almost closing time I doubt that there'll be many more people showing up. You can start any time."

Willow dug her hand in the crumpled paper sack she carried and came up with a chunk of white chalk. She absently handed the paperback to Rupert and smoothed out a folded piece of paper on top of the glass case. Rupert saw a diagram and a series of steps listed. Willow studied the paper for a moment and then used the chalk to copy the diagram on the floor. She was careful to make sure the legs of the case were completely enclosed by the figure she drew.

When Willow was satisfied that her chalk drawing matched the one on the paper she reached into the sack and brought out two fat candles and two matchboxes. She handed each of the men a candle and a matchbox.

"You each need to stand outside the chalk. Here. And here." She led them to their spots and turned them to face the case. "When I point to you, light your candles. That's all you have to do. The spell is complete when the candles are extinguished."

Rupert opened his matchbox and withdrew a match. He watched skeptically as Willow set the paperback on the case directly over the _Malleus_. She sprinkled a handful of sage over the glass and started muttering the words of the spell. Rupert strained to hear what she was saying, but her voice was pitched low and all he could make out was an occasional Latin word. Suddenly she gave them the cue to light their candles. Rupert grinned when Xander nearly dropped his candle in his haste to comply. With both candles lit Willow continued on to the end of the spell. She clapped her hands twice and then gasped as the flickering candlelight extinguished.

"It worked," she said softly.

"My god, so it did." Rupert stared in disbelief at the top of the case where the _Malleus Abyssum_ now sat. The romance novel with it's lurid cover was safely tucked under the glass in the place of honor, the placard proclaiming it to be the oldest known example of a written book of magic.

Buffy drifted over from the doorway. "See, you had it in you all the time."

"Okay," Xander said shakily. "That part obviously worked. But does everybody else see a paperback book under the glass? I mean, what happens when we try to walk out of here with that thing? No offense, but that's not something that's gonna fit in my pocket."

"Oh ye of little faith," Willow said cockily. "Everyone else will see what they expect to see when they look in the case. And when we walk out with the _Malleus_, they'll see that paperback book. Which I'm not carrying, by the way. Not with that cover."

"It was Xander's choice, I say we make him carry it." Buffy grinned.

"But how do we know that's what'll happen?" Xander asked insistently.

"How about we test it?" Buffy asked. Without waiting for a reply she left the room only to return moments later with a Museum Docent.

"So, like I said, we have a question about the age of this _Malleus_ thingie," Buffy said to the young woman next to her. She pulled the Docent over to the case.

"I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't put your things on the case," the Docent said to Willow with a disapproving frown. "I'll have to ask you to remove your paperback."

Willow grinned in triumph at Xander and grabbed the _Malleus_. "I'm the one who's sorry. It won't happen again."

"What's all this stuff on the glass? Oh dear, I hope those hooligans from the junior high school haven't been fooling around in here again. I'll have to get the janitor in here to clean this up right away. Excuse me for a moment, please." She rushed off.

"Guess we can go now, huh?" Buffy asked with a smile. "Great job, Will."

Rupert wasn't sure if he should feel relieved that they'd managed to get away with the book. Instead he felt apprehensive and edgy. As if only something bad could come of their seeming success.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Dust covered the surfaces of the few pieces of furniture that remained in the mansion and overgrown weeds choked the small garden. Giles looked around the open interior with distaste. None of his memories of the place were pleasant and he wasn't about to hide that, but Angel was right when he said that the mansion presented the best location for working potentially dangerous spells.

Giles pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the worst of the dust from the low table in front of the cold hearth. Carefully he placed the _Malleus Abyssum_ on the table and then turned to watch Angel wander around the large room, picking up small objects and examining them only to set them down again moments later.

"If you're quite through traipsing down memory lane?" Giles asked dryly. "I could use some help in setting up the room."

Angel looked at him sheepishly and shrugged. "It's been a while since I've been here. I guess no one else has been here either since I've been gone."

"Does that surprise you?"

Angel jerked his head in a single short negation. "I stayed away. I did my part. I didn't expect that she'd come here and moon over me, if that's what you're thinking. I just meant that no other vampires had the bright idea to use the place as a base of operations."

Giles stared at him blankly. He hadn't thought of Buffy visiting here because she missed Angel, and as far as he knew she never had. But it appeared to have crossed Angel's mind. Often enough that he'd think it was an obvious thing for Giles to believe. Had Angel really thought that Buffy would be so maudlin as to come to the mansion and wallow in the bitterness of his leaving? Evidently he had. And the fact that she hadn't done just that seemed only now to have begun to sink into the vampire's brain.

"Yes, well, I suppose we're fortunate that other vampires aren't as fond of places that allow sunlight inside as you are," Giles said. "If you'll just help me with clearing this debris from the floor?"

They spent the next several minutes working in silence. They moved the dusty davenport back against one wall and then swept away the dried leaves and twigs that had blown in from the garden. The space cleared was larger than Giles' living room and kitchen combined. Angel perched on the low table next to the _Malleus_ to wait for the others to arrive. Giles stood in the middle of the room and tried to wipe the grime from his hands with his now dusty handkerchief. They both looked up as the front door swung open and Xander, Anya, Willow, and Buffy walked in, each carrying a small sack.

"Hey, nice to see you two have been making with the Martha Stewart, though I hear dust is the in thing this year," Xander said cheerfully. He placed his bag on the table.

Anya wrinkled her nose. "So this is the mansion. Not quite what I expected."

Willow looked at her curiously. "What did you expect?"

"Well, the way Xander talked I expected to see whips and chains and all kinds of medieval torture implements. Unless you took those with you to Los Angeles?" She turned to Angel.

Xander coughed into his hand.

Angel looked taken aback and no words came out when he opened his mouth.

Willow hurried into the silence. "Uh, Anya? I don't think Angel has those kinds of things. And if he did, it would have been when he was Angelus, not Angel. And I'm not helping, am I?" She bit her bottom lip and looked at Angel anxiously.

Angel gave Willow a small smile and shook his head. "I'm afraid Willow's right. Sorry to disappoint you."

Anya looked around the room and shrugged. "Doesn't matter. This has kind of a minimalist look about it. Not bad, well, except for the dust and the dead garden."

Giles folded his arms over his chest. "If you're done with the home and garden critique?"

"Sorry," Xander said sheepishly.

"Willow, would you and Angel draw the circle please? We'll perform the spell here in the center of the room."

"Do we want to use the chalk or the charcoal for the circle?" Willow asked.

"Chalk for the circle, charcoal for the symbols of the locator spell. Did you manage to find the other things?"

Willow nodded and gestured to the bags on the table. "Everything on the list. I didn't even have to make any creative substitutions this time." She dug into one of the bags and came up with a lump of white chalk that she handed to Angel. Another bag produced a lump of charcoal. Armed with their drawing implements the two walked to the center of the room and quietly debated how large to make the circle and exactly where to place the symbols for the locator spell.

Giles left them to it. He rummaged through the bags until he found the smooth blue crystal. It was round and fit comfortably in his hand. He held it up to the light and examined it. Was that a small flaw there near the center? He turned it over and over and tried to find what had caught his eye. Try as he might, he couldn't see anything to mar the perfection of the crystal. He mentally shook his head. If there were a flaw he'd just have to make adjustments during the spell. He slipped the crystal into his pocket and turned to examine the markings on the floor.

Willow finished her last triangle surrounded by a small circle and climbed to her feet. She looked over the symbols with a critical eye and then smiled up at Giles. "Done. I think they're correct, but you might want to check their placement."

Giles nodded. He carefully paced out the distance between the five symbols surrounding the circle. "This will work fine. Now for one final thing." He held out his hand to Angel for the chalk. Several paces from the large chalk circle he drew a smaller circle and then connected it to the larger circle via a wide chalk line.

Willow looked down at the addition. "What's that for? I don't remember a second circle in the spell."

Giles glanced quickly at Angel before turning his gaze on Willow. Gently he said, "I'll need to draw on your strength in order to complete the two spells. You'll sit in this smaller circle. I'll cast a spell to link our energies. The chalk band between the two will act as a conduit, allowing me to tap your energy as needed."

She frowned. "I've linked power before and it's always taken physical contact."

"That's one way of doing it. However, this way is much safer. It provides a measure of protection for you should something go wrong with the spell. The conduit only allows the energy to flow one way, so if there's a magical backlash you'll be unharmed."

"But that means that I can't help with the spell! I thought I was going to be your second." A mutinous expression crossed Willow's face.

"Angel will act in that capacity." Giles sighed. "I know you'd rather work the spell, but I really do need to be able to tap your energy. You're much stronger than Angel."

Xander touched Willow's shoulder. "If Giles says he needs you to do it this way, he wouldn't lie to you. Right Giles? I'm sure there'll be plenty of other spells for you to do another time."

Willow looked like she wanted to argue about it, but glanced at Angel and abruptly acquiesced. Still looking unhappy she stepped into the center of the small circle and sat cross-legged. She placed her hands palm-up on her knees and nodded that she was ready.

Giles slowly let out his breath. He hadn't wanted a prolonged argument with Willow and was glad that she'd given in to his request. He opened the _Malleus_ to the correct page and glanced over it one last time to reinforce the order of the spell. He looked across the table to Angel and then turned the book around to face the vampire. Angel nodded once. Giles strode to the center of the large circle. He pulled the crystal from his pocket and held it before him with both hands.

"Xander, Anya, take these candles," Angel said quietly. "Stand on the other side of the circle and when I tell you to, light them. Whatever you do, don't drop them or let them go out."

Giles waited until they were all in place and then nodded at Angel. "I'm ready."

Angel glanced at the others and said, "Light the candles."

Matches flared.

Angel looked down at the _Malleus_ and began the incantation. "Ad hunc vocem. Ad hunc locum." *

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"So now that we've got this thing, what do we do with it?" Xander asked. He took another bite of pizza.

"I guess we try to figure out what the demon that killed Brian wants with it." Buffy shrugged and sipped on her diet soda. She glanced over at Rupert. "Maybe your friend will be able to help us."

They were sitting on the couch in Rupert's suite. An open pizza box surrounded by several soda cans sat on the coffee table. They'd chosen to return to the hotel and order a pizza rather than risk being out in the open with the _Malleus_ after Willow had casually mentioned that she didn't know how long the spell would last.

"Friend? What friend?" Willow asked.

"Didn't he tell you?" Buffy replied innocently. "A friend of his from Berkeley by the name of Doyle is flying down and should be here tomorrow."

"Oh." Willow sounded confused

"Find anything yet?" Xander directed his question to Rupert seated on the chair across from them.

"Hmm? Oh, not yet. This is fascinating, though. And rather disturbing at the same time. I can understand why there's so much superstition surrounding it." Rupert looked up and smiled. "Sorry. I guess it's the academician in me."

Buffy grinned. "That's okay. I don't think it's contagious."

Rupert smiled and turned his attention back to the book on his lap. He flipped through several pages and stopped when he came to a particular spell. He wasn't sure what made him stop at that exact spot. There were few symbols on the page and none that matched the ones that Buffy had copied down. Something compelled him to read the spell though, translating the Latin to himself. Translocation? What exactly was that, he wondered? He skimmed over the description of the setup for the spell and started on the spell proper. Ad hunc vocem.*

Distracted by what he was reading he didn't hear the question that Buffy asked him. He also missed the concerned looks exchanged by the three sitting on the couch. The more he read the more he felt he had to read. A pressure was building in his head. He strained and could almost hear other voices speaking the words as he read them. He was in a fever to get to the end, unaware that he'd started speaking out loud. He came to the last phrase of the spell and stood abruptly, the _Malleus_ sliding to the floor with a loud thump.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles drew more of Willow's energy to him across the linking conduit. He frowned at the glowing crystal in his hands. He was almost certain now that a tiny flaw marred the center and it nagged at him, though he couldn't feel it causing the spell to be thrown off the mark. Shrugging the feeling off he concentrated instead on the spell.

Angel continued to chant the words, speaking slightly faster now. Giles could almost feel a connection with something or someone beyond this reality. Again he drew more power across the conduit and fed it into the crystal until the thing glowed with a bright unearthly blue light. He squinted into the bright glow and again felt a presence. Was it Buffy? Ruthlessly he pulled at the conduit and forced all the power into the crystal. Too late Giles realized he had overloaded the crystal, the power causing the flaw to expand and crack down the center.

At the same time, Angel proclaimed the final words of the spell, "_Consummatum est!_"**

With a blinding flash of blue light the crystal split in two. Giles clenched his eyes shut and stood very still. When the brilliant light died and he wasn't in danger of being blinded, he opened his eyes and felt his chin drop in shock. He no longer stood in the mansion, but appeared to be in the middle of a living room standing before a couch on which sat Buffy, Xander, and Willow. They were looking at him as if he'd grown a third head.

"G-giles?" Buffy asked shakily as she slowly stood up.

Giles dropped the crystal halves and barely managed to keep from staggering backwards when she launched herself at him. His arms came round her in a reflex action and he found that he was clinging to her as tightly as she was holding onto him.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

A blinding flash of blue light and suddenly the pressure was gone from his head. Rupert cautiously opened his eyes and stared in disbelief. He was standing in the middle of a room that could only be described as cavernous. Willow was seated cross-legged on the ground staring up at him. Xander and an unfamiliar young woman holding lit candles slowly edged their way into his peripheral view. Another man he'd never seen before stood behind a low table that held what looked like an identical copy of the _Malleus_. Buffy was curled up on the floor behind the man with her arms wrapped around her knees as if to make herself as small as possible, a frightened expression on her face.

The impact of what must have happened hit Rupert like a blow from a hammer, the shock forcing him to his knees. Translocation.

He looked round at the others and said, "Bloody hell!"

 

 

**Translations:**

*****At this word. At this place.

******It is finished!


	9. Chapter 9

"This shouldn't have happened," Angel said worriedly. His troubled gaze never left the tall man sitting on the sofa speaking softly to the petite blonde beside him.

"No shit, Sherlock," Xander said angrily. "But it did. Do you think he's with Buffy?"

"You don't know how much I hope that's true," Angel said quietly.

"So what do we do now?"

"I don't know." Angel continued to watch the two people sitting together on the small sofa. The tall man's expression was intent as he took her hand gently in his. There was something achingly familiar in their gestures and the way they looked at each other, though Angel knew that they'd never met before this. He glanced at Xander and was taken aback at the expression on his face.

"It isn't easy, is it?" Xander asked softly. "Even when it isn't them."

Angel held his gaze for a moment, only to drop his eyes and look away. Xander had always been the one who objected to his presence. Even when he consented to work together with Angel, Xander made it clear that it was a limited truce and that he'd be on his guard. And he'd never wavered in his dislike. So it wasn't the surprisingly perceptive words that caused Angel to drop his gaze. It was the look of understanding and pity in Xander's brown eyes that did it. A look that said 'I know what you're thinking. I've been there.' Angel thought he'd rather have Xander's blatant antagonism any day.

"No," Angel said shortly. "It isn't easy. It's never easy."

"Like I said, what are we gonna do now?" Xander asked again.

"I'll call Wesley and see if they've found anything." Angel slowly shook his head.

"Wesley?" Xander frowned. "What does Wesley have to do with anything?"

"He, well, he sort of works for me."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Great. Wesley and Cordelia in the same office. And you actually pay them for that kind of fun?" He sighed. "Never mind. If Wes has something that'll help us, I'm all over it."

Willow came up beside Angel and touched his arm. "I'm afraid to try any more magic," she said miserably. "I don't know if I can control it anymore. What if something even worse happens? But how do we get them back without magic?"

Angel turned to her. "Don't give up--"

A high pitched cry from Buffy interrupted him. Angel was on his way to the sofa before the conscious thought that he didn't have a right to comfort this Buffy brought him up short. What news had Rupert brought with him that would cause her such pain?

 

 

Rupert held the small woman lightly, letting her muffle her sobs against his shoulder. He hated breaking the news of Brian Callahan's death to her, but he hadn't any choice in the matter. They all needed to know what had happened, that much was clear, but it was right that she be the first to know. He only wished that she could have received the news in private. It wasn't the sort of thing easily said in the best of circumstances. Still, he thought, as he held the small shaking form in his arms, she was taking the news as well as could be expected. He was grateful that the others were letting them alone, but he knew that they'd expect an explanation soon.

She gradually quieted. Still she leaned against him as if reluctant to face the others. Rupert gently took her by the shoulders and held her away from him in order to look her in the eye. He saw grief and something undefinable that puzzled him. The grief he understood, or thought he did.

"Are you going to be all right?" he asked quietly.

She nodded slowly and wiped the back of her hand across her cheek. "I can't believe that Brian's dead." She looked away. "He wasn't a very nice person, you know? We'd only really been going out for about six months. He...he wasn't who I thought he was when I first met him. He seemed so nice at first, but lately he's been so jealous and for no reason. There've been times when I've hated him. I won't deny that I was going to break up with him. Now you tell me he's dead and I feel so guilty."

Deja vu, he thought. "Listen to me. You weren't responsible for his death. You weren't there and you didn't cause it, did you? Then you mustn't allow yourself to feel guilty for your feelings. A person's death doesn't change whom they were when they were alive. His death doesn't automatically turn him into a saint." He gazed at her intently. "Look. The Buffy from this reality told me about a confrontation the two of them had. He hit her. He was abusive with you, wasn't he?"

She nodded, her eyes wide.

Rupert shook his head. "I'm not saying he deserved to die. I'm just saying you have good reasons for your feelings. And you don't need to feel guilty about those feelings just because he's dead."

"It's hard, though, you know?" she asked softly and grimaced.

"I'm sure it is. And I'm here if you need to talk to someone. All right?"

"Thanks."

Rupert smiled gently.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles looked down at the top of the golden head resting against his chest. She lifted her head and any question he might have had regarding the identity of the young woman in his arms disappeared when he gazed into her clear blue eyes.

"Giles. You're really here. You really are my Giles." Buffy made it a statement, as if she were confident of the answer.

"Yes. I really am." He smiled down at her.

Her eyes widened and she looked away as she pushed herself back to stand apart from him. He turned to look at the others on the couch. Their identical stunned expressions nearly made him smile. They looked so familiar, those two, and yet there were subtle differences that he noticed immediately. This Willow still wore her hair long, the way their Willow had when Giles had first met her. And this one's hair was more of a reddish brown as well.

"Xander, Willow, I'd like you to meet Giles." Buffy smiled at them.

They stood and Xander held out his hand. Giles shook it and smiled at them. This Xander held himself more confidently and seemed more self-assured than the young man Giles knew.

"Wow," Xander said softly. "You look the same, but--."

"Different!" Willow exclaimed. She blushed furiously. "I-I mean it's nice to meet you, uh, Mr. Giles."

"So, what happened to Rupert?" Xander asked.

"Rupert?" Giles turned to Buffy.

"Your double. He, um, told us all to call him Rupert. He was standing right where you are and then poof. You're here and he's gone."

"H-he's okay, isn't he?" Willow asked anxiously.

Giles smiled. "I would assume that he's back in my Sunnydale. He's probably answering much the same questions there."

"Oh." Willow glanced between Buffy and Giles. "I guess you guys have a lot to talk about." She turned and looked at Xander mutely.

Xander picked up his cue and grabbed Willow's hand. "Yeah. And we need to go now." He pulled Willow around the coffee table and headed for the door.

"Wait you guys," Buffy called out, worry in her voice. "It's getting late and I really don't think you should go out."

"Don't worry," Xander replied, "I'll drive Willow home. In fact, now that I think about it we'll just stay at my place. My roommate's out of town. You can have the bed, Will, and I'll take the sofa." He stopped at the table and scribbled something on one of the small hotel notepads. He handed the note to Buffy.

"What's this?"

"We'll be back in the morning, but that's my phone number in case you need us. We'll just leave the laptop here. Willow spends too much time on that thing as it is and I don't feel like lugging it back and forth." He flashed a grin and pulled a protesting Willow to the door.

"Hey! I do not," Willow protested. She waved at them as Xander closed the door behind them.

Giles chuckled. He turned to watch Buffy wander the room, picking up small items only to immediately put them down again. When she finally faced him he frowned at the guarded expression in her eyes.

"So, wanna tell me what's going on?" she asked softly. "I figure there must be some really big evil brewin' if you came here instead of bringing me home."

He shook his head and said ruefully, "I almost wish that that were the case. I didn't intend to join you here. In fact, we were trying to bring you home. Should have worked, too."

"Tell me I didn't hear you right," she begged.

He raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Let me get this straight. You were trying to bring me home, but instead you ended up here? God, doesn't anything ever go right on the Hellmouth?"

"Is that a rhetorical question, or do you actually expect an answer?" He smiled and was relieved to see an answering grin on her face.

Buffy shook her head. She continued wandering around the room, stopping for a moment here only to move on to stop there. Giles sighed softly and moved to the couch, stumbling slightly over a book on the floor next to his feet. He picked up what appeared to be an identical copy of the _Malleus_ with a grimace and placed it on the coffee table next to the remains of a large pizza. He sat down and waited for her to finish her seemingly aimless trek.

Finally, fingers drumming the arm of the couch in irritation, he asked, "Will you stop flittering about and light somewhere?"

She froze for a moment, then came straight over to the couch and sat down next to him. Her hands picked nervously at the hem of the strange outfit that she wore. For the first time Giles noticed her appearance and frowned. She seemed to be wearing a man's black T-shirt and little else. The shirt fell to her bare knees and the neck drooped over one bare shoulder. It was so unlike her normal fastidious appearance that it startled him.

"What on earth are you wearing?" he blurted out.

She glanced up at him swiftly and then looked away. She cleared her throat nervously. "It's your, um, I mean, it's Rupert's T-shirt."

His eyes narrowed and he tried to keep his voice neutral. "Rupert. I see. And just why are you wearing his T-shirt?"

"Well, you see, my clothes were pretty stinky and after I got out of my shower I didn't want to put them back on. So I put this on and then Rupert said it was okay. That I looked better in it than he did and I should just go ahead and wear it." She rushed through her explanation only to come to an abrupt halt when she finally lifted her eyes and met his stormy gaze.

"Where are we, Buffy?" he asked quietly.

"This is Rupert's hotel room." Her eyes were still guarded.

"Hotel room?"

"He doesn't live in Sunnydale. He came to give a lecture at UC Sunnydale. He arrived the same day I did."

"You appear to understand what's happened. And you were able to find Willow and Xander. And R-rupert. Why didn't you just go to this Buffy's dorm room and get her clothes?" What on earth had possessed her, he wondered? That question led down a path he didn't want to travel. He watched as various emotions played across her face and waited for her to tell him what he probably didn't want to hear.

"I did," she said softly. "The problem was that the police wouldn't let me take any of the clothes. They're a bit more insistent than the police in our Sunnydale."

"The police?" he asked blankly. What did the police have to do with anything?

"It's kind of a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere." He smiled slightly.

Buffy sighed and relaxed back against the couch, curling her legs up under her and leaning against his shoulder. "Good. 'Cause I really, really wouldn't like it if you did."

He looked down at her in surprise. "Now, about the police?"

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"So, Angel, was it?" Rupert picked up his cup of tea. "Buffy didn't mention you. But it appears that the others all know you." His inflection made it a question.

They had returned to Giles' apartment. The others were in the living room. Rupert had followed Angel into the kitchen and watched him prepare a pot of tea for everyone.

Angel weighed what he should tell the man and decided on the minimum of truth. "I've been in L.A. since last June. Before that I was here in Sunnydale helping Buffy and the others."

Rupert raised an eyebrow and said quietly, "It sounds as if there's more to your story."

Angel hesitated for a moment. "Buffy and I...we..."

Rupert smiled and nodded in understanding. "And this Giles didn't approve?"

Angel looked away uncomfortably. "It isn't like that exactly. Giles has always wanted only the best for Buffy."

"And you weren't it?"

"For a while I was. I made her happy and that's all he asked. If he had any reservations, he never let them show."

"What happened?" Rupert asked curiously.

"Disaster." Angel lowered his head. "I'm not what I seem."

"Oh?"

" No." Here we go, he thought grimly. "I'm a vampire."

"I beg your pardon? A what?"

Angel watched Rupert, as he appeared to process the implications of his statement. "I'm a vampire. I was cursed to have my soul returned to me. The others know about it. The problem was that the curse, like all curses, had a catch. A trigger that would cause me to lose my soul once again. That's what happened. I won't trivialize it, but the short version, as Xander would say, is that badness occurred. Willow was finally able to restore my soul, but only after I'd done more damage than I care to remember."

Rupert's eyes were unreadable as he gazed at Angel. "I have the feeling that there's a lot more to this story than you've just said, but I won't pry. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me this much."

Angel shook his head. "You need to know who you're dealing with. You can't just blindly trust that everyone and everything's what they seem around here. If you do that you're just asking for trouble and pain. Assume the worst and you should be all right."

"I see."

"Probably not. But don't let that stop you from remembering it. It could save your life." Angel crossed his arms. "Now. I need to know what happened with our Buffy."


	10. Chapter 10

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair. She propped her chin on her hand, swiveled the high-backed leather chair in the direction of the glass wall and stared moodily out into the night. The lights of Sunnydale twinkled below her like so many cheery fireflies, sinking her further into her funk. With an effort of will she forced down the coldness in her center that threatened to rise up and consume her.

Her upper lip curled as she looked at the book on her lap. "Doesn't anything ever go right in this thrice-cursed world?" she muttered.

With a snarl she whipped her chair around, plucked the offending item and hurled it across the empty room. The cheap paperback hit the wall and split down the middle, its thin pages fluttering to the ground like so many dead leaves. She stared for a moment, then swiveled back around to face the night. As quickly as it had come her anger had dissipated and all that was left in its place were depression and the ever-present coldness.

She sensed a familiar presence in the room behind her. "What is it Ralston?" she asked wearily.

"Beg pardon, madam," said a voice behind her in disapproving tones, "but there is a being here to see you."

"A being?" She turned the chair to face the owner of the voice and raised an eyebrow. "What kind of being?"

"A being of the demonic kind," Ralston said with a sniff. He raised his thin aquiline nose in the air slightly and looked as if he'd just smelled something bad.

Good old Ralston, she thought as she tried to keep her lips from quirking into a smile. "Then by all means let's not keep the being waiting. Send him in." Finding Ralston had been one of the few things she counted as going right for her since she'd found herself trapped in this world and she wasn't about to offend his dignity by laughing at him.

"Very well madam." He turned, opened the double doors and stood aside. Once the demon had entered, Ralston turned and asked, "Will there be anything else, madam?"

How like Ralston not to approve of my...business associate, she thought. But then, he might be right about this one. "No, Ralston. That will be all for now."

Ralston nodded once and withdrew through the doors, closing them behind him as he left. She turned to examine the demon standing in the middle of the room. Ugly, she thought, but then weren't they all? It would be refreshing to meet a demon that was actually handsome and dashing, but perhaps that would be asking for too much. She sighed to herself. This one was proving to be as stupid as it was ugly.

"You have a job for me." His voice was harsh and grating.

"I may have a job for you. I haven't decided yet. You bungled the last job I gave you. Badly, I might add." She let the coldness that was her constant companion seep into her voice.

"I did what you wanted. The book wasn't there." The demon crossed his scabrous arms and glared at her.

"I did not tell you to kill anyone," she said in exasperation. "You nearly ruined everything."

"The human got in the way. I had to kill it or it would have brought more humans." He lifted his ridged shoulders in a grotesque parody of a shrug.

"Spare me the excuses. If you had to kill him why didn't you just break his neck and be done with it? Why on earth did you have to make it a ritual killing?" She could feel the coldness expanding inside her. If she wasn't careful it would control her and then she would lose a semi-useful tool.

"I kill in my own way."

She closed her eyes and once again fought the coldness back down into the pit of her being. "See that it doesn't happen again."

"See that you give me the correct information." He stared at her challengingly.

"Don't try my patience!" she snapped. "I felt the magic! I know I did. I almost had it in my grasp." She held out her open hand and slowly closed it as if holding something precious.

"I know your limits, Zosima, as well as you. Beware that you don't lose your grip on the power. You know what would happen if you do."

"Are you threatening me?" She laughed.

"Take it as a warning. We have worked well together in the past. But I will not hesitate to kill you if I ever have the opportunity."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that, never fear."

The demon nodded, his eyes gleaming. "What is the job?"

"I've felt another surge of the power. Stronger than before. It's tied to that ridiculous paperback. Someone tried a very naive spell to fool the eyes of the unwary. And whoever it was substituted that," she gestured at the pages of the book now scattered on the floor, "for the _Malleus_. I, of course, saw through it immediately. They didn't even try to hide their magical signature. That, combined with the use of the _Malleus_ has given me a location." She removed a piece of paper from a pocket of her skirt and held it out to the demon.

He took the paper and glanced at it. "This is the address of a hotel," he said sourly.

"Yes. But from the quality of the power surge I believe it must be near the top of the hotel. I've managed to make a little charm for you. Something to track the _Malleus_ to the correct room." She tossed the demon a foul smelling pouch.

He sniffed. "Asafetida?" His grating voice managed to convey disbelief.

"It'll work. Once you're on the correct floor you need only follow the vapor trail to the room," she said confidently.

"There are bound to be humans in the room," he warned.

"Then wait for them to leave and go in and get the book. Do I have to think of everything?" The coldness crashed inside her like an iceberg breaking free, turning her eyes black. "Don't fuck this up. There won't be a third time. And that is a threat."


	11. Chapter 11

"Okay, so maybe this wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had," Buffy said. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket and grimaced at the cherub adorning the top of the headstone in front of her.

Giles managed to keep from laughing, but only just. "Well, it did seem rather a long shot. On the bright side, at least the hotel managed to get your clothes cleaned."

"I know." She sighed and scuffed the ground with her toe. "Cabin fever was starting to set in, though, you know? I needed to get out and find something bad to slay. How was I supposed to know that there wouldn't be anything? I mean, not even a single vampire. What's up with that?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Shouldn't that be considered a good thing? Perhaps there are no demons and vampires here."

"What killed Brian Callahan then?" she demanded. "Giles, you didn't see him. If you had you'd know."

"I believe you." He rubbed his chin and carefully perused the cemetery. He'd been against patrolling when Buffy had suggested it earlier. She hadn't seen any sign of vampires or demons since she'd been in this world, the mystery of Callahan's death notwithstanding. He'd finally agreed when he'd realized that it didn't matter if they encountered a demon or not; Buffy needed to do something active. The lack of slaying and the uncertainty of their situation had begun to affect her. So he'd agreed, even though he hadn't believed they would encounter anything.

"Great. You believe me." She jumped up to sit on top of a plain headstone. "We're stuck here. We're never gonna get back home, are we?" she asked plaintively.

Giles stared at her. "Of course we..." He let his words trail off when he saw the bleak expression on her face.

"Truth, Giles." One corner of her mouth quirked up. "I think I'm beyond the need to have you lie to me."

"Truth is relative," he said calmly. "All right. Here's the truth. The truth is, I don't know. I hope we'll find our way home. But I don't have any guarantees."

She smiled sadly. "Well, I asked, right?"

He stood in front of her and took her hands in his. "You know that I won't give up."

"I know," she said softly and squeezed his hands.

"Then I'll confess a selfish truth as well. I feel better being 'stuck here' as you put it with you whether we get home or not, than I did being safe at home and worrying about what was happening to you."

"Safe at home? On the Hellmouth? That's a type of safe that's a new one on me." She searched his face and then grinned. "Guess we'll just have to make the best of it. But don't you think we ought to patrol while we're here, just to make sure?"

"What do you two think you're doing in the cemetery in the middle of the night?"

They turned and gaped at a man dressed in camouflage gear standing near the wrought iron entrance. He was frowning forbiddingly. Giles cleared his throat and thought furiously. The possibility that they would encounter anyone other than a supernatural creature hadn't even remotely crossed his mind. Too bloody conditioned to act like this was their Sunnydale where people who'd question their presence in odd places at odd hours were less than non-existent, he thought angrily.

"Oh, hey," Buffy said brightly as she jumped down from the headstone. "It's a nice night and we were just taking a walk."

"Taking a walk. Uh-huh. It's two o'clock in the morning. A little late for taking a walk, isn't it?" He came forward, the frown never leaving his face.

"Or a little early. Guess it depends on your point of view, huh?" she asked, a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

"Buffy," Giles said warningly. The last thing they needed was trouble with, well, with whoever he was.

"Sorry," she said and then spoiled it with an impudent grin.

"Don't the two of you have somewhere to go? You can't loiter around here."

"Now wait just a minute! Who do you think you are?" Buffy did a double take and peered closely at the stranger's face. "Wait. Don't I know you?"

The man looked taken aback. "I-I don't know what you mean."

"Sure I do. From UC Sunnydale. Weren't you the T.A. in one of my classes?" She frowned. "I'm sure it was you. In my psych class. You're, um, Ricky?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Riley," he said shortly.

"Riley. Right. Then it was you," she said confidently.

Riley nodded slowly.

"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night dressed like that?"

Riley glanced down at himself uncertainly.

"What are you, some kind of weird cemetery skulker?" A note of indignation crept into her voice. "Like, you follow people around and scare them half to death?"

"I'm not a vigi...I wasn't follow...I didn't mean to scare..." He blinked several times and then turned to glare at Giles. "Hey! I'm asking the questions here. And you haven't answered me. What are you doing here? Aren't you a little old for her?"

Giles forced his jaw to unclench. "I'll have you know that--"

"Giles." It was Buffy's turn to speak warningly. She turned to Riley and crossed her arms. "Nice try. But we don't bluff that easily. What's with the soldier costume and the G.I. Joe 'tude?"

Riley raised his hands in front of him in a surrendering gesture. "Fine. I'm in the army reserve and we're on maneuvers this weekend."

"Uh-huh. And I'm Sheena, queen of the jungle. Nice try, commando-boy." Buffy turned to Giles and winked at him surreptitiously. "I think maybe we should report this to the police. You know, suspicious character all decked out in war gear. I'm sure they'd appreciate the fact that we're being good little citizens."

Giles winced. She was enjoying herself just a little too much with this, he thought. Granted, the young man was annoying, but Buffy was pushing things a bit too far.

"No!" Riley raised his voice. "I mean--"

The walkie-talkie attached to his belt chose that moment to crackle to life. The three of them stared at it for a moment in shock before Riley shook himself and unclipped it.

"Finn here." He kept his eyes on them even while he spoke into the unit in his hand.

_HST sighted in sector 25. Proceed with extreme caution._

"Roger." He clipped the walkie-talkie back on his belt and regarded them uncertainly before appearing to make a decision. "I don't have time to deal with this right now. This isn't Lover's Lane and I'd suggest that you take your, um, activities indoors for your own safety." He turned and stalked off into the shadows before they had a chance to respond.

"Well, that was fun!" Buffy exclaimed. She glanced at Giles and shrugged. "He's right, though. We might as well go back to the hotel."

"I'm sorry," he said slowly.

She chuckled. "Why? He saw what he saw and jumped to his own conclusions. We're just lucky he didn't ask more questions. Talk about irritating."

"What happened to 'you're very, very old and it's gross?'" He raised an eyebrow and tried not to smile.

She tucked her chin and looked up at him from under her eyelashes. "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?" she asked ruefully.

He smiled warmly. "Not if I can help it."

"Okay, Hef. Let's go back to the hotel. Just don't expect me to ask you about all your conquests." She smiled and tucked her arm in his as they walked on. "You know, I've wondered what happened to Olivia. I just never had the nerve to ask you."

He looked down at her in surprise. "What's changed?"

"Well, for one, who knows how long we'll be stuck here? We've just got each other to depend on and I guess we should be able to talk about anything. For another, you're avoiding the question. Why?" She looked at him innocently.

"I hoped that you'd miss that," he said dryly. He fell silent and looked off into the distance. "I suppose it was the encounter with the Gentlemen that brought things to a head. I'd been honest, or at least as honest as I could be with her about what my life is like."

"She couldn't take the reality though, huh?" Buffy glanced away. "I know what that's like," she muttered.

"Hmm. Yes. I suppose that was most of it." He hesitated for a moment. "This wasn't what she wanted and I refused to change my life. It was as simple as that." He waited for her to ask for more details and was enormously relieved when she remained quiet.

The hotel came into view. They crossed the lobby and entered the elevator. Buffy lounged back in one corner, her hands resting on the waist-high brass railing that surrounded the interior. She gazed at him seriously.

"It was because of me, wasn't it?" Her face screwed up in a disgusted look. "Jeez, self-centered much? I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I meant--"

He shook his head. "I know what you meant. It's all right."

She tilted her head. "Well?"

He studied his shoes. "Indirectly. She wanted me to go back to London and was none too happy when I told her I wouldn't. I'm afraid we had a bit of a row."

"Translation from Giles-speak, you had a hell of a fight. Didn't you?" she asked wryly.

He shrugged. "It's not important."

"Would you stop saying that? Of course it's important. Did you love her?"

"Buffy," he said tiredly and then stopped.

Gently she said, "Giles, it's important to me because it's important to you. I may get caught up in my own life and seem totally clueless at times, but I do know how much you've given up."

The elevator chimed its arrival at their floor softly. They stepped off into the hallway and Giles reached out to take her arm. He turned her to face him.

"Life is a series of choices. Any time you choose one thing you give up something else. It's my choice to live my life as I do. I cared very much for Olivia, still do for all it matters. But you see, she couldn't accept me for who I am and I couldn't change who I am for her. It would have made me less somehow." He sighed in frustration. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

She nodded slowly. "Your choices make you who you are. I'm part of why you choose to stay, but ultimately the choice is yours. Am I close?"

"Right on the money."

"I'm sorry that she wanted you to change," Buffy said softly. "It's her loss, you know."

He smiled slightly. "Thank you. Now if we're quite through dissecting my rather pathetic love life?" He fished the room key out of his pocket.

"Just so long as we don't move on to mine," she said with a grin. She entered the hotel room and came to an abrupt halt.

"Buffy, you'll have to step aside in order for me to come in," Giles said. His chin dropped as he caught sight of the room over her shoulder.

It had been trashed. Cushions from the couch were ripped and scattered across the floor. Lamps and chairs had been overturned. The draperies across the picture windows were slashed and hung in tatters. Strange symbols had been scratched into the top of the table and the case of Willow's laptop.

"Giles," Buffy said slowly. "Those are the same symbols I saw on Brian Callahan's face. The ones from the _Malleus_."

They rushed to the overturned coffee table, where they'd last seen the _Malleus Abyssum_.

"It's gone." Giles righted the coffee table.

"Are you sure? Maybe it got tossed under here or something." Buffy got down on her hands and knees and peered under the couch.

"Buffy. I'm sure. It has to be the reason for all of this." He gestured vaguely at the mess surrounding them.

"But it was out in plain sight. Why would anyone trash the place when they could just grab it and go?" She sank back on her heels and looked up at him.

He shook his head. "It may have been the demon you think killed Callahan. It obviously has very little self-control or it simply doesn't care that we know it was here. Either possibility is bad, I'm afraid."

"Giles," Buffy said fearfully, "do we have any chance of getting home without the _Malleus_?"

"I don't see how," he said wearily.


	12. Chapter 12

A book on the bottom shelf caught Angel's eye and he squatted to get a better look. There was something familiar about it. He frowned and pulled it from the shelf. It was small, about the size of a trade paperback, and bound in soft red leather. Finely wrought crossed swords were embossed in silver on the cover. He opened it curiously. _The Manly Art of Fencing._

Trust Giles to have a copy of Mannheim's classic treatise on the tactics of swordplay. Angel smiled to himself. It was first published in 1832 and he'd read it nearly a century ago. With a sigh he replaced the book on the shelf. Tempting though it was to sit and leaf through it, it wouldn't help them with their present problem. He scanned the rest of the bottom shelf and stood up empty handed. The stack of books on the desk was pitifully small. He had little confidence that they'd find anything worthwhile in even those few, but he knew they had to try. He turned as the front door to the apartment opened and Willow entered.

She stood in the entryway with her hands twisting together in front of her and spoke hesitantly. "Hey. Thought I'd come over and see if I could help." She glanced at Rupert sitting at the desk and then her gaze returned to Angel.

"I'm going through Giles' books to see if there's anything that might be useful."

"Since I'm not familiar with the works," Rupert added with a small smile, "I'm the page turner. If there's one thing I do know it's how to research."

Willow smiled in return. "I can help with that." She stood by the desk and ran a hand lightly down the books, turning her head to the side as she read the titles on the spines.

Angel glanced at her. "Where's Buffy? I thought she was with you."

"Xander and Anya took her over to Xander's to hang for awhile." She sighed. "We've...kinda been trading off who has to stay with her." She hunched her shoulders and Angel was surprised by the guilty look that crossed her face.

"Why is that?" Rupert sat back in his chair.

She hesitated and then blurted out, "She's just so different from our Buffy. She's scared all the time. And she whines. A lot. I never thought I'd say it, but I'd rather have Cordelia here. I'm sorry, okay? I know it's really difficult for her. But I can only be sympathetic for so long before I start getting really annoyed. And Xander has the same problem. So we made a deal. We'd split the Buffy-watch and give each other a breather." Willow crossed her arms and glared at them.

Angel managed to keep from smiling and merely raised an eyebrow. He'd noticed this Buffy's 'scared little girl' tendency immediately and had admitted to himself that he felt uncomfortable around her. On the other hand, he couldn't blame her for how she felt or who she was. He silently turned back to the bookcase.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Rupert glanced up at Willow. "It must be hard on all of you to have us here," he said softly.

She shook her head. "It's not that. It's just that she's so much the same and yet, where it really counts, she's so different. To be honest, you seem more like Giles. Oh, the superficial stuff is different." She waved her hand in the air. "But it feels like what matters is the same. Well, except for the doing magic and knowing about demons and vampires being real and stuff." She frowned, frustrated at her inability to voice what she meant.

He smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment. To be honest, I'm finding this entire experience more fascinating than disturbing. I suppose that it's because I don't have a history with any of you lot. No memories to which to compare you, except of course for the brief time I've spent with your counterparts."

Willow pulled up a chair from the dining table. "Can I ask you something?"

Rupert shrugged. "What would you like to know?"

"What are they like? The Xander a-and Willow in your world?"

He rubbed his chin. "Understand that I don't know them all that well."

She nodded impatiently. "What are your impressions though?"

He sighed. "To be honest, they seem very much like the both of you in this world. Her hair is long and more brown than red. He seems a bit more confident than your friend, but I could be wrong about that."

"They are, um, human, though. Right?" She held her breath.

"Of course." He frowned and then nodded. "Ah. Yes. Buffy told me about the vampire version of you that you encountered. Last year, wasn't it?"

She nodded mutely.

"Don't worry," he reassured her, "the Willow and Xander I met were quite alive." He opened his mouth and then closed it again without speaking.

She leaned forward in her chair. His hesitation told her that there was something more. "What?"

"It's just that I got the impression that they're seeing one another." He raised an eyebrow and gave her a half-smile.

"Seeing?" She made a silent 'oh' and her eyes widened. "You mean, like a couple? They're a couple?"

He nodded.

Willow smiled. "Well at least one of us got Xander to ask me...her...out. How about that?" She glanced over at Angel to see if he was listening, but he appeared absorbed with the bookcase. "I used to have the biggest crush on Xander, but I could never get him to notice me until it was the absolute wrong time." She sat back in her chair.

"They seemed quite close." He smiled. "She is perhaps a bit shy, but she can perform magic just like you. She did her first spell while I was with them."

"She did magic?" Angel asked intently as he turned from the bookcase.

"Get out! Really?" Willow grinned. "What'd she do?"

"Really," Rupert replied dryly. "She performed some kind of illusion spell that allowed us to substitute a paperback book for the _Malleus Abyssum_ at the museum. Not completely ethical I suppose, but it did allow us to obtain the book."

"Huh. And she'd really never done magic before?" Willow's eyes widened.

"No. I think she was as surprised as the rest of us when the spell actually worked."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Angel demanded.

Rupert raised his eyebrows and gazed at him curiously. "I didn't think about it earlier. I'm afraid my thoughts were rather focused on the novelty of being whisked to an alternate universe. Is it really that important?"

"It may be." Angel glanced at Willow. "Don't you see? It means that magic does work in that world. We have to consider that what's happened may not just be an effect of magic use here, but could possibly have been caused by something or someone on that side."

Willow flicked her gaze between Rupert and Angel and nodded slowly. "And it means that Giles should be able to do magic there. And he's got a copy of the _Malleus_. Maybe he'll be able to bring them home without our help."

"If only things could be that simple," Angel muttered.

"Hey. I'm an optimist. You kind of have to be if you decide to live on a Hellmouth. Well, either that or something evil. Which I'm not." She grinned.

"Perhaps we should work from the premise that they'll need help." Rupert grinned. "Or I guess one could put it the other way. We need help and they'll provide it."

"Mmm." She stared off into space and frowned slightly. There was something, she thought. But what was it? She sighed to herself and reached for the book atop the nearest stack and started turning the pages.

Angel returned to perusing the bookcase and after a moment Rupert turned back to the book in front of him as well. Occasionally Angel would add a book to one of the piles on the desk or Willow or Rupert would discard a book on the pile on the floor. After nearly two hours of the silent work, Willow suddenly sat up straight in her chair.

"Maybe we're going about this all wrong. We should be looking at what's in common, not just who's in common." She shook her head and frowned. "I mean, we know that there are two Buffys and two of Giles and me and Xander. But think about it. There are two of the _Malleus_

and they seemed to be identical, right? What are the odds of that? And if it exists in Rupert's world, what about the Emerald Tablet and the Dagger?"

"I'm sorry," Rupert said, "but you've lost me. Buffy mentioned something about an Emerald Tablet, but what's the dagger?"

Angel leaned back against the bookcase and lowered his head. "You think that maybe the Emerald Tablet and the Dagger exist in his world and they could use them to get home."

"Maybe. It's a thought. And I bet it'll occur to Giles, too." She turned to Rupert and asked eagerly, "What do you think?"

"If I knew what you were talking about, I might have an opinion," he said dryly. "I've never heard of anything called the Emerald Tablet and I still don't know what the dagger is."

"Oh." Her voice fell. "Is there a legend about the Trismegistus in your world? The Thrice Greatest?"

Rupert shook his head. "Buffy asked me the same question. I've never come across that name." The corners of his mouth quirked up in a small smile. "Except she thought he was called 'Hermes.' The Greek god Hermes was never referred to as the 'Thrice Greatest.'"

"She's never been great with demon names," Willow said sadly. "The demon was also known as 'Hermes Trismegistus' or 'Thoth' to the ancient Egyptians. Oh well, it was a shot in the dark anyway."

"No. I think you may be onto something." Angel pushed himself away from the bookcase and approached the desk. "Why would the _Malleus_ exist in both worlds? And if it's the same _Malleus_ with the same spells, then it must refer to the Emerald. Remember that the spell to dissolve the boundaries of reality included the use of the Emerald. Why would a book of magic refer to something that doesn't exist?"

Willow frowned. "Okay. Now I'm getting a headache. Maybe it isn't really the exact same _Malleus_ in that reality."

Rupert pursed his lips. "I can verify that the spell that brought me here is identical in both volumes. Angel and I went over it quite thoroughly. Unfortunately that was the only spell I read in any detail."

"So, if it is the _Malleus_, then maybe there's some way to summon the Emerald to it. Does that make sense?" Willow looked anxiously at Angel.

"Maybe."

"So you're saying that a spell from the _Malleus_ in my world would summon the Emerald from your world?" Rupert asked skeptically. "I don't see how that would help us, though, even if it's true. Buffy told me that she destroyed the Emerald."

"She did," Angel said regretfully. "But there's always the Dagger. Anya suggested using it and much as I hate the thought that may be exactly what we have to do."

"You still haven't explained about the dagger." Rupert raised an eyebrow.

"Guys, that may not be entirely true." Willow's eyes widened and she bit her lower lip.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked. "What part?"

"The part about Buffy destroying the Emerald." She flushed.

Angel narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? Giles told me that she destroyed the Emerald with the Dagger."

Oh boy, Willow thought. "I-I forgot all about it until now. Things were pretty freaky when she stuck the Dagger into the Emerald. And afterwards everyone was really shaken up. And Giles wasn't in any shape to take care of things. S-so, I handled the cleanup. Xander helped me clear away all the magical symbols and stuff. And while we were doing that I found this green sliver."

"Sliver?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh. It's about the size of a really thick pen. I'm not even sure it's from the Emerald. It could just be a piece of green glass. I tested it for magic and got nothing from it. But it was kind of pretty. I stuck it in the drawer of my nightstand at the dorm. I, um, forgot all about it until just now. Honest. I wasn't trying to hide it." She looked at Angel and worried her bottom lip between her teeth, anxious to have him believe her.

He frowned slightly. "I'm sure you weren't, Willow. But maybe we better take a closer look at this green glass of yours. This might be the break we've been looking for."

"I'll go get it right now," she said eagerly and headed for the door. "I'll be back soon."

"Willow." Angel halted her at the door. "Be careful how you handle it."

Her eyes widened at the silent implications behind his words and she nodded. As she closed the door behind her, she heard Rupert ask, "Now, about this dagger?"


	13. Chapter 13

"Think that guy could possibly have groveled more?" Buffy asked as she closed the door. "A new wardrobe's nice, but I was thinking more along the lines of designer wear not jeans and tops." She grinned at Giles over her shoulder.

"I shouldn't complain were I you. At the very least you won't need to run around in a man's T-shirt any longer." Giles raised an eyebrow. "And they did give us another room. I confess I rather feared that we'd be tossed out."

"I gotta admit, Rupert must have some reputation. And I thought the other room was nice." She ran a hand over the marble countertop of the wet bar.

"The police weren't very happy with us." Giles sat on the sofa and sighed.

"Can you blame them? Those symbols were the same ones they found at the dorm room when Rupert and I called in Brian Callahan's body. They must think we're involved with some sort of weird cult."

"Actually, they believe that you're the target of such a cult." At her questioning look he added, "One of the detectives tried to convince me to disassociate myself from you. Their current theory is that you were the intended victim in the dorm and Callahan just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now that I'm with you they think I'm just as likely to be killed."

"Great. Now I'm some sort of typhoon Mary." She rolled her eyes.

"Typhoon..? Ah, I believe you mean 'Typhoid Mary.'" He shook his head and smiled slightly. "Not exactly. They don't see you as the cause, just the intended victim."

She curled up in a corner of the sofa and hugged her knees. "Oh. Anyway, they're wrong, so it doesn't matter." She was silent for a moment and then looked up at him. "Maybe I should check that guy out when we get back home."

"What?" Giles raised in eyebrow in confusion. "I don't understand. Why would you want to check out the hotel manager?"

Buffy shook her head impatiently. "Not the hotel manager. Commando-guy. You know. From last night. Maybe there's something going on at home that we should know about."

"Buffy, I really don't think--"

A loud knocking on the door interrupted him. Buffy rested her forehead on her knees and groaned softly. "Now what? Think it's the manager checking again to see if we're happy with everything?" she asked, her voice muffled by her knees.

Giles made his way to the door. "Yes? May I help..."

Buffy raised her head when his words trailed off. She glanced back over her shoulder and sat upright, her feet dropping to the floor in surprise. Oops, she thought belatedly, forgot to tell him about that.

Doyle stood in the doorway, though he certainly wasn't a Doyle she would have ever thought existed. The man wore an exquisite dark gray three-button suit that fit as if it had been custom tailored. His silk shirt was perhaps a quarter shade lighter than his suit, and the solid gray tie matched it so perfectly that it must have come from the same die-lot as the shirt. His dark hair was neatly styled and his black shoes gleamed. Buffy thought she'd never seen anyone quite so perfectly attired in her life.

"Rupert? I know it's been a long time, but aren't you going to let me in?" He smiled slightly. "After all, you are the one who invited me here."

Giles stepped back and silently held the door open. Doyle entered and caught sight of Buffy on the sofa. His smile widened and he stepped forward with his hand outstretched.

"You must be Buffy," he said warmly. "Rupert told me about you. He said you were lovely, but he didn't mention what an understatement he was making. Probably knew I'd get here even faster, the sly dog." He glanced back at Giles and raised his eyebrows. "Since Rupert seems to have lost his voice, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Allen Francis Doyle. My friends call me Allen." He took Buffy's hand and kissed it with a flourish, then clasped it in both of his.

"A-Allen?" Buffy's eyes widened. She glanced at Giles and raised her shoulders slightly before returning her fascinated gaze to the man in front of her. "It's nice to meet you...Allen. R-Rupert mentioned you were flying down from Berkeley, but I'd forgotten all about it." She gently extricated her hand from his.

"Ah, but you've had a bit of excitement now, haven't you?" He grinned and sat down next to her on the couch.

Giles cleared his throat. "Excitement?"

Allen looked at him and frowned slightly. "Yes. I tried you at your room. The other one. The police have it all taped up, don't they? I had to check with the management to find out where they'd stashed you. Are you all right, Rupert? You seem a bit...I don't know exactly. Not yourself."

"What did Rupert tell you about me?" Buffy leaned forward and caught his attention.

He smiled. "Besides the fact that you're easy on the eyes? Well, he told me that you believe you're from an alternate reality and that you think the _Malleus Abyssum_ is required to send you home. A bit more of a personal nature, but I don't guess any of that's relevant."

"Did he tell you that he believed my story?" she asked intently.

Allen raised an eyebrow and glanced at Giles. "Did you? Well now, I suppose you did at that. It's the reason I agreed to meet you here after all, isn't it?"

Buffy turned to Giles. "What do you think?"

"I don't believe that we have much choice."

Allen slowly sat back and stared at him. "Who are you?" he asked flatly.

Giles exchanged a startled glance with Buffy. "I'm Rupert Giles. Who do you think I am?"

"Well now, boy-o, you look like the Rupert I know, but you don't sound like him. And while you're wearin' his clothes, you surely don't hold yourself like him. So I ask you again. Who are you?"

"You know who he is," Buffy said quietly. "The question you should be asking is where is he from."

He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't be tryin' to tell me that he's from your reality, now would you?"

Buffy turned to Giles. "He's quick. I'll give him that."

"I'll be damned," Allen said softly. He stood and circled Giles, staring at him from all angles.

"Are you quite finished?" Giles asked uncomfortably.

Allen stepped back and grinned impudently. "For now. Where's Rupert?"

"Um, Allen? He and Giles sort of, well, switched places. Like what happened to me." Buffy nervously pushed a strand of hair out of her face with the ring finger of her right hand. "At least, that's what we assume happened. He was reading from the _Malleus_ and something went wrong."

"Yes," Giles said. "We were performing the same spell on our side and the combination must have been enough to cause the exchange to occur."

Allen sank down onto a chair opposite Buffy. He gazed blankly first at her and then at Giles.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "I don't believe that I am."

"I thought Rupert told you all about this. I know it's a shock that he's been switched too, but we'll get him back." She glanced at Giles and added, "'Cause if we don't that means we're stuck here."

"I can see how that would give you a strong motivation to succeed," Allen said dryly. He rubbed his forehead. "You know, I've always wondered how I'd react when this day came."

Giles sat down on the sofa next to Buffy. "You've been expecting this?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly. But ever since the experiments in quantum time by the Berkeley group I've been convinced it was inevitable that an overlap in quantum realities would occur."

"Overlap in quantum realities? Can you translate that?" Buffy turned to Giles, a puzzled expression on her face.

"He's referring to certain theories in quantum mechanics regarding time and space. Physics." Giles frowned. "Though I fail to see the connection with magic."

Allen smiled slightly. "Don't you? I have a rather different view of how the world works. Those of us working in the field of quantum physics are considered a bit odd, but my colleagues charitably refer to me as the chief lunatic in the asylum. If you look at magic as a tool to manipulate the physical world you see that it fits hand-in-glove with quantum mechanics. It just becomes a matter of finding magic that works, yes?"

"I see," Giles said slowly. "I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense when looked at from that perspective."

"Wait a minute," Buffy demaded. "You're telling us that you're a-a physicist? No way."

"You sound surprised." Allen frowned.

"It's just...you can't... you're not...you're Doyle." She raised her hands and turned to Giles in frustration. "This is too weird."

"I'll admit it's perhaps the strangest divergence we've encountered, but that doesn't preclude it from being true."

"Divergence?" Allen raised an eyebrow. "Divergence from your world, right? There's an alternate me, isn't there? In your world. And you know him."

Giles glanced at Buffy. "We've met him."

"So, what's he like, this other me?" He leaned forward eagerly.

"Different," Buffy said dryly.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to discuss this," Giles said. "And it's certainly not pertinent to our problem."

Allen frowned. "All right. Let's talk about your problem. Just what did happen to your other hotel room?"

"It was ransacked by a demon who stole the _Malleus_."

"Demon?" Allen asked skeptically. "You're joking, yes? And what do you mean, stole the _Malleus_? How did you get the _Malleus_ out of the exhibit?"

"What? You believe in alternate quantum realities, but you find it difficult to accept the existence of demons?" Giles smiled slightly.

"You're damn right I do. I can posit the existence of quantum realities using established data. But demons are from the realm of fairy tales and myths." He smiled smugly. "When I say magic is a tool, I'm merely looking for physical rules that haven't been discovered. One man's science is another's magic."

Giles crossed his arms. "Then you'll never find what you're looking for, because in your way you're just as narrow in your outlook as your colleagues."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that there are things beyond that which can be explained by science. If you prefer to believe that science can incorporate the metaphysical, that's you're choice. Just don't be surprised when you fail to find your magic." Giles shrugged.

Allen frowned. "All right. Suppose I set aside my objection to the existence of demons for the moment. How do you know it was a demon that ransacked your room?"

"He left his calling card." Buffy shrugged. "Demons usually have a pattern and they stick to it. Did Rupert tell you about the murder?"

He nodded. "When he called to ask me to come down. But he didn't say anything about a demon."

"The man who died was killed by a demon. I've seen more than I care to admit of their handiwork, so yes, I'm sure it was a demon. Plus my Spidey-sense was tingling before I went into the room. That's a sure sign. The demon carved symbols from the _Malleus_ on the, um, victim's forehead." She closed her eyes briefly against the memory, but that just made the pictures even more vivid. "The demon left the same symbols in our hotel room."

"Say I accept your evidence. You still haven't answered my question about how you got hold of the _Malleus_." Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Magic." Buffy smiled.

"Magic?"

"Magic. We substituted a paperback novel for the _Malleus_ and Willow cast an illusion spell so everyone would think the paperback really was the _Malleus_."

Giles sat on the couch next to her and searched her face. "You didn't tell me that Willow did a spell."

"I thought I did. Didn't I?" She shrugged. "It seemed to work OK."

"Had she ever done magic before?"

"Nope. Guess she's a natural, huh? Kind of like our Will. Is it important?"

Giles frowned. "I'm not sure, really. What occurs to me is that the demon could have been attracted by the magic use. Not just that spell, but also the translation spell from the _Malleus_ which would have created a very powerful magical signature."

"Like the residue left behind after shooting a gun?" Allen asked curiously.

"An apt enough analogy, I suppose, though not totally accurate."

What had they done, she wondered? "Would that signature-thingie stick to Willow too?" she asked intently.

"More than likely," Giles replied.

"Oh God." She jumped off the sofa and ran to the phone.

"What is it?" Allen asked.

"What if the demon goes after Will and Xander? I've got to warn them." She fished the scrap of paper with Xander's phone number on it out of her pocket and dialed.

"Perhaps it would be best to have them come here," Giles said seriously.

"Ya think?" Buffy listened to the phone ring. "Come on. Be there. Hello? Xander? This is Buffy. Is Willow there? Uh-huh. No, that's OK. Look, I don't want to scare you, but something bad's happened and we think you guys'll be safer if you come over here. Yeah. Oh, and by the way, we've changed rooms. We're in room 1215. We'll explain when you get here." She hung up the phone and turned around.

"Everything all right?" Giles asked.

"Yep. They're on their way over." She started pacing. "I've been so concerned about getting home I didn't think about the fact that I might be putting them in danger."

"Buffy," Giles said gently, "you couldn't know what would happen. And so far nothing that you've done has resulted in anything more than some property damage."

"What about Brian Callahan?" she asked harshly.

"The demon was responsible for Callahan's death. Not you. And not anything you did." Giles stood and walked over to her. He met her gaze, a serious expression on his face. "We'll protect them from harm. And together we'll figure out what's happening here and why."

She took a deep, cleansing breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah. And hopefully get home in the process."

Giles smiled.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"So what's this about?" Xander asked as he stared at the irregularly shaped piece of green glass on Giles' dining table.

Angel glanced up from his perusal of a thick book. "That may be a piece of the Emerald Tablet. Willow picked it up when the two of you were cleaning up after your run in with the Destroyer."

"And you didn't let anybody know?" Xander turned to Willow. "What were you thinking?"

"I forgot." A guilty expression crossed Willow's face.

Xander planted his fists on his hips and glared at her. "You forgot? You forget to take out the garbage. You don't forget to mention that you've picked up a piece of an evil magical thing after said thing was supposed to have been destroyed."

"Xander," Angel said quietly, "it may or may not be a piece of the Emerald. That's what we're going to try to find out. And if it is part of the Emerald, we may be able to use it to bring Buffy and Giles back."

Willow glanced at him gratefully and then turned to Xander. "I meant to tell Giles after he felt better, but I never got around to it. I really did forget I had it."

Xander let out a slow breath. "I'm sorry Will." He glanced over at Buffy sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine, a bored expression on her face, and felt the now familiar sense of loss. "I guess I just..."

Willow followed his gaze and said dryly, "I know. And don't think I haven't been kicking myself since I remembered it was in my drawer at the dorm."

"Yeah. Well, you know me. Open mouth, insert foot." He smiled tentatively.

"Speaking of tact, where's Anya?" Willow looked around.

"You know how tolerant she is. Not. I finally had to send her home. I don't have much in my basement hideaway, but what I have I want to keep intact. And as much as I might enjoy watching two women fight I figured you'd kill me if I let it get that far." He grinned. "I called her after we got here. She'll be here in a bit."

"It didn't go well having both of them there, huh?" she asked sympathetically.

"Now there's an understatement." He shook his head and lowered his voice. "Not that I blame Anya. There've been moments when I've really wanted to tell Buffy to stop whining and grow up, you know? But I bite my tongue and try to remember that she isn't our Buffy."

"Thank God for that," Willow said softly. "I know what you mean. I keep having to remind myself to cut her some slack."

"Speaking of not ours, where's Rupert?" Xander glanced around the apartment.

"Upstairs getting some rest. He could barely keep his eyes open. I think the reality of the situation finally caught up with him."

"Can't say as I blame him."

Angel cleared his throat. "I think I've found the right spell. It's fairly simple. Willow, do you know if Giles has any mandrake root?"

She nodded. "I think he has some in the third drawer to the right of the sink. How much do you need?"

"Not a lot." Angel rummaged through the drawer. "This'll do. All I have to do is hold it over the object in question and say the spell. The mandrake will force it to reveal its magic, if it has any."

"This isn't dangerous, is it?" Xander asked and took a step back from the table, just in case.

"No." Angel cleared everything off the table except the green shard. He handed Willow the book and nodded to her.

She angled the book so that he could easily read the words of the spell. Angel held the small piece of mandrake root over the shard and began to recite. "_Fronti nulla fides_..."** As he spoke he moved his hand slowly over its length.

Xander crossed his arms and frowned when nothing happened. "Shouldn't there be something?" he asked.

Angel lowered his hand and shook his head. "Not if there's no magic. I'm sorry Willow. It looks like this is just a piece of green glass after all."

"Damn," she said softly.

"Guess we're back to square one, huh? Too bad that wasn't part of the whosits." Xander sat down at Giles' desk. He turned his head towards the door as it opened and Anya entered the apartment.

"Miss me?" she asked and leaned over his shoulder. She looped her arms around his neck.

"Of course, but now isn't the time to discuss that," he replied calmly and removed her arms. "Willow thought she might have salvaged a piece of the Emerald Tablet, but it turns out it's just a piece of glass."

"Oh. I don't see what the big deal is. I told you to use the Dagger. After all, Zosima thought it had the same properties as the Emerald."

"You mentioned this Zosima before," Angel said. "I've never heard of her. She was a sorceress, right?"

Anya nodded. "Not a very good one I'll admit. She was good at research, but she didn't have much in the way of talent or power. She was convinced that the Emerald or the Dagger would have enough power to allow her to accomplish what she wanted."

"What happened to her?" Willow asked curiously.

Anya shrugged. "I lost track of her after she decided to go to Greece to look for the Emerald. I never saw her again."

"But you think she was right?" Angel asked.

"About the Emerald and the Dagger? Probably."

"Why all the concern about this Zosima?" Xander asked with a frown. "Especially since she disappeared. Doesn't that just mean she was killed?"

"Maybe," Angel said slowly. He crossed his arms and clasped his elbows. "And maybe she found what she wanted."

"But we know that the Destroyer had the Emerald and the Dagger," Willow said in confusion.

"That's what Anya said she was looking for, but she also said that what this Zosima really wanted was the means of traveling to other dimensions. What if that's what she found?"

Xander leaned forward. "And if she did, maybe she left some kind of record?"

"It's worth a shot." Angel crossed the room to the telephone. "I've never come across any mention of her, but maybe Wesley can find something." He picked up the phone.

Xander turned to Anya. "Can you remember anything else about this Zosima chick? Anything at all?"

"Well, she was smart. She pretty much had to be in order to be successful as a woman in the sixteenth century. Especially since she wasn't born rich or beautiful. Oh, she was pretty enough, but she wasn't a great beauty." Anya sat down on the arm of his chair. "She had enough power to do simple spells like lust charms and minor beauty tricks, but she lacked any kind of real power. You know, power like Willow has."

"Like I have?" Willow said slowly.

"Yes." Anya looked at Willow and frowned. "Your power continues to grow. It's part of what caused the switch between Giles and his double. Well, that and the fact that they were both reading the same spell at the same time. I thought you knew that."

"I...I guess I did," Willow said faintly.

Angel hung up the phone and took Willow's arm. "Are you all right? You look pale."

"No, no, I'm fine." She took a deep breath.

"Good." Angel released her arm. "I just talked to Wes. He's going to find out everything he can about this Zosima and get back to me."

"Do you think this is really going to help us?" Xander asked quietly.

Angel shrugged slightly. "I don't know, but what else have we got?"

"Good point."

 

 

**Translation:**

****** There is no trusting appearances


	14. Chapter 14

Xander crossed his arms and leaned back against the kitchen counter. He gazed at the group in Giles' living room and frowned. Angel and Willow stood close together next to a bookcase quietly discussing who knew what. Rupert sat on the couch with Anya, seemingly fascinated by the former demon. And Buffy sat on the chair, flipping through magazines, a bored expression on her face. It might have been a perfectly normal scene if it weren't for the fact that two of the people in that room came from an alternate reality. Xander shook his head slowly. He didn't know why, but a sense of time running out suddenly struck him and the knowledge that there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it didn't help. His hands clenched into fists.

Angel looked up suddenly and held his gaze for a moment. He gave one short nod before turning back to Willow. Xander rolled his eyes. Great. Now he was getting understanding looks from Dead Boy. Much more of this and they'd be deep in male bonding territory. Oh yeah. And that was just the place he wanted to go with a two hundred year old vampire. Xander sighed to himself and stepped out of the kitchen.

"How long does a little research take, I ask you," he said to the room at large. "Shouldn't Wesley have something by now?"

"It's only been a few hours," Angel replied mildly. "Give him a chance."

"Not to be the sayer of nay here, but how sure are we that we want to trust anything Wes comes up with?" Xander asked and glanced from Angel to Willow.

"I know you and Wesley have your issues, but--" Angel began.

"Angel," Willow interrupted, "Xander does have a point. Wes wasn't the most, um, reliable of researchers when he was here as Watcher.

"Yeah and you know it," Xander said and pointed at Angel. "He was too deep in the Cordelia Zone to pay attention to what he was doing. Why should we believe anything's different now?"

Angel shook his head. "He's changed. Cordelia's changed. Whatever other problems Wesley might have, he's a very thorough researcher. I trust his information and so can you."

"If you say so," Willow said dubiously.

The phone rang, its shrill sound causing them all to jump. Xander exchanged a sheepish look with Willow, who grinned.

Angel picked up the phone. "Wes? Good. What do you have?" He grabbed a pen and a pad. "Go ahead." He listened for several moments and began taking notes.

Xander crossed the room to stand next to Willow. "God, I hope this is it," he said quietly.

She nodded. "I know. Me too." She glanced up at him. "Xander, what if we can't bring them back?" Her low voice was sad.

"We will," Xander said firmly without meeting her eyes. "Giles promised and I'm going to hold him to that."

Willow blinked. "Oh."

Angel's voice sounded concerned. "Are you sure? I've heard of it of course, but I thought it was a myth. Uh-huh. I suppose that's true. All right. Keep digging and let us know if you find anything else." Angel placed the receiver on the cradle and stared at it for a moment before he turned to them.

Rupert and Anya looked up from their conversation and Buffy tossed her magazine aside. Angel glanced down at his notes.

"Well," Xander said impatiently. "What is it?"

"Wes tracked a reference to this Zosima in Greece."

"I told you that's the last place she was seen," Anya said.

"Let him finish," Xander said, earning himself a frown. He looked expectantly at Angel. "And?"

"And that's where she disappeared from occidental records."

"Occidental?" Rupert raised an eyebrow. "You're implying that there are records from the East that mention her."

Angel nodded. "Wes found the journal of an Eastern mystic. It mentions a ZosMa that he believes to be the same person. This ZosMa traveled to China, still in search of the Emerald Tablet. She didn't find it, nor did she find the Dagger. She did, however, find something else. Or perhaps it found her." Angel hesitated and glanced back down at his notes, a slight frown marring his forehead.

"Don't make us play twenty questions here. What'd she find?" Xander crossed his arms.

"Kitsune."

"Kitsune? What's that?"

"A fox fairy?" Anya turned round on the couch to look at Angel.

"Okay, anybody else confused here? Are we talking about a good-looking fairy or what? Are fairies real?" Xander raised his eyebrows.

"Not a kitsune," Angel said, "the Kitsune."

"That's impossible," Anya said with a frown. "That's just a myth."

"That's what I thought. But Wes crosschecked the journal with other mystical writings from that time and found other references. The Kitsune is, or was, real and Zosima encountered it."

Xander waved his hand in the air. "Still not hearing an explanation. What's this kitsune you're talking about? Some kind of demon."

"The Kitsune isn't a demon. It's more of a spirit."

"Like an elemental?" Willow asked.

"No. It defies description really. The kitsunes of Eastern legend are said to be fox spirits that can possess a person or that play tricks on people. But among demons there was a legend about the Kitsune. The original spirit-being that the human stories evolved from. The story goes that it was here on earth before the demons arrived. No one knows where it came from. The demons discovered it when they came to this dimension and they were afraid of it."

"Something demons are afraid of?" Willow asked and then shivered. "That make anybody else just a little nervous?"

"Yeah. Not liking this story so far." Xander hunched his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Anya glanced at Angel. "But what does all this have to do with Zosima? Assuming the Kitsune does exist and isn't just a myth, how could she have found it?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. The journal says that the Kitsune entered ZosMa and she went mad."

"Sounds painful." Xander frowned. "But what does it mean?"

Anya stood. "If the legends were correct, the Kitsune is a disembodied spirit. It has the power to enter a physical body, but only if a person invites it in."

"I don't understand," said Willow. "Why would anyone do that?"

"According to one story," Angel said slowly, "a person who survived the Kitsune entering his body would become the vessel of great power. And the Kitsune's powers can only manifest when it's inside a corporeal being."

Xander folded his arms across his chest. "What's the catch? There's always a catch to these things, or everyone would try to do this stuff."

Anya nodded. "The catch is that not many can survive the Kitsune entering their body to begin with. And those that do survive are either driven mad or are unable to control it. And once it's been invited in it can't be kicked out. The story always ends up with it destroying the host."

"Okay, so it's not Casper the friendly fox spirit," Xander said. "I'd guess that's why the journal said that she went mad."

"It's a dead end then," Willow said, a catch in her voice.

"Possibly." Angel held her gaze. "According to the journal this ZosMa went mad for a time. But somehow she conquered enough of her madness to try to fight the Kitsune for control. The description Wesley read me was melodramatic to say the least. One entry said that _darkness swallowed the sky and lightening came from her hand._ He said the journal went on like that for awhile. And then finally, _her voice was raised in triumph and the darkness fell back._ The mystic assumed that she had succeeded in controlling the Kitsune because the next entry said that she _twisted the light and tore a hole in the sky_ which she stepped through and disappeared."

"Alternate reality portal?" Willow asked.

"That's what it sounds like to me," Angel replied.

"Did she come back?" Xander frowned. "'Cause I'm not hearing anything so far that's gonna help us out here."

"Wes is looking for further references. But you're right. As interesting as the story is, it doesn't really help us."

"Except to point out that there is yet another way to open a doorway to an alternate reality. I'd say that's something favorable." Rupert smiled slightly.

Willow bit her lower lip and frowned. "Yeah, but I don't think inviting this Kitsune into one of us would be the answer. The madness factor plus the can't-kick-it-out bit sort of rules that out."

"So we're back to using the Dagger?" Xander asked.

"Haven't I been saying that all along?" Anya asked grumpily. "I don't understand what the big deal is. It's not like anybody has to touch it or anything."

Xander studied her bemusedly. She just wasn't ever going to get it, he thought, surprised that he found the idea amusing rather than annoying. When had that happened?

"I'm not at all clear on what you expect to do with this Dagger," Rupert said. "Angel and Willow have told me about it of course, but I'm afraid they haven't explained how it could be used in this case."

"That's because I'm not really sure," Angel said and glanced at Willow. She shook her head.

"Anya? It was your idea." Xander gestured for her to speak.

"Like I've said. Zosima thought it had the same properties as the Emerald. Plus it should have an affinity for Buffy and Giles since they were both part of the Completion. We do a small spell to send it to them and they use it to come home." Anya shrugged as if it were obvious.

"Send it to them?" Willow frowned. "How do we know where to send it? That's the problem we haven't been able to solve."

Anya rolled her eyes. "I said it has an affinity for them. You don't tell it where to go. You just weaken its ties to this reality and encourage it to find them. It'll do the rest."

Rupert rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes. "Why do I get the feeling that what you're describing is more difficult than it sounds?"

"Because it is," Angel said dryly. "But it's also the only thing left to try at this point. I think that with Willow's help we can come up with an effective spell."

"Are you sure you want my help?" Willow asked, her eyes downcast. "I don't know how reliable my control is right now. I did kinda screw up and get Giles and Rupert switched, after all."

"That wasn't your fault. Besides, we're talking about working out the spell. Not casting it. Though I'm sure I'll need your help for that when the time comes. We'll need Anya's help constructing the spell too." Angel smiled.

"What do you want us to do?" Xander asked.

Angel crossed his arms. "Take Rupert and Buffy to the mansion. Willow, Anya and I will work out the details and meet you there later."

Xander nodded. He wasn't happy about being stuck with Buffy, but at least he'd have Rupert to talk to while they waited. "Okay. Come on, guys. Let's get out of their way and let them work." He watched as Buffy sighed dramatically and stuffed her magazines into a shoulder bag. He kept himself from rolling his eyes at her, but only just. "Ow! What was that for?" He rubbed the spot on his arm where Willow had just punched it.

"Nothing," she said innocently. "See you later."

"Yeah. Right." Xander opened the door and waited for Buffy and Rupert to leave. He looked back at the three of them standing in the middle of the living room, varying degrees of smugness on their faces. "You owe me. All of you." He turned and followed the others out the door.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Zosima stood in the middle of the dark room and resisted the urge to pace. It was a game she had played often over the long years and it seemed to be occurring with increasing frequency. The restlessness made her skin itch and she rarely slept anymore. Now she stood, fully awake, every nerve jagged and raw. As a sign that she was still the one in control she resisted the impulse to move. The entity within pushed and pulled at her, the darkness rolling until she felt as if ocean waves crashed inside her body urging her on.

Time meant nothing while she fought this battle. How long she stood motionless wasn't important. It was only the fact that she won, no matter how long it took, that was important. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

The whispers were growing stronger too. The creature didn't, couldn't, speak in words, but Zosima understood its meaning just as clearly as if it did. The malevolence behind its thoughts was as strong today as it had been when she'd first felt its presence inside her. If presented with the smallest opening in her defenses she knew it would take great pleasure in destroying her.

The darkness inside her finally began to recede. The tide was going out, but it always came back, didn't it? At least she'd have some relief from the damn thing for awhile. Now that the compulsion to move was gone she allowed herself a bone cracking stretch.

It was no surprise when the door opened behind her and a sliver of light fell across the floor. She didn't have to turn around to know that Ralston was standing in the doorway. There was no explanation for how he knew when her struggle was done, but somehow he always did.

A tingle of anticipation shot down her spine. The end was so close. Soon she'd be home and rid of this darkness forever. Zosima turned to Ralston and smiled.

"The preparations are complete, madam," he said as he opened the door so that she could walk through.

"Thank you Ralston." She nodded. "I'll be there in a little while." But first a long hot shower, she thought as she headed for her bedroom.

"Very good, madam." He closed the door and turned in the opposite direction.

 

 

An hour later Zosima stood in the middle of the open basement room she used for casting spells. A tall rectangular table stood in the center of the room, bare except for the _Malleus_. There was nothing in the room to distract her focus. Not that she expected anything less from Ralston's preparations. No matter how...messy...a previous spell had been, Ralston always made sure that the room was spotless afterwards. Truly he was the only thing she'd miss when she left this place.

She opened the _Malleus_ and turned its pages with a reverence that would have surprised many. The spells in the book were priceless, but there was only one that she cared about. It had taken centuries in this reality before she'd even discovered that the _Malleus Abyssum_ existed here. She might not have the Emerald Tablet or the Dagger, and it had taken far too long to arrange for the _Malleus_ to come into her hands, but now that she had it she intended to put it to good use.

"Let's see, let's see," she muttered as she turned the pages. "Ah. There it is." She breathed a sigh of relief as she read through the spell. She should be able to do this, she thought. A careful boost from the added power of the entity within her and she would have a doorway home. She quickly memorized the ingredients for the spell and headed upstairs to talk to Ralston.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"Where's the Dagger?" Rupert asked.

Angel removed a small bundle from under his leather jacket and placed it on the coffee table. He carefully unwrapped the cloth from around the bundle, slowly revealing the Dagger. "Here."

Rupert frowned. He wasn't sure what he expected, but something with as much power as the Dagger should have looked more impressive. The handle was ornate, but nothing special. If he hadn't known what it was he wouldn't have given it a second glance, but knowing what it could do he found that he couldn't take his eyes off of it. What was he expecting? That it would jump off the table by itself and stab him? He shook his head ruefully.

"Now what?" Xander asked.

"Yeah. Am I ever going to get home?" Buffy asked petulantly. "You guys keep saying that you'll have the answer any day now. And what is this thing?" She reached a hand out to touch the Dagger and squealed when four people pushed her away from the table.

"Don't do that," Angel said firmly.

"Trust me, you definitely don't want to touch that," Xander added shakily.

"Okay, okay. I can take a hint." Buffy glared at Willow and Rupert until they both released her. "I've got it. Don't touch the big knife." Her tone held more bravado than anger. She clasped her hands behind her back and stepped back from the table.

Anya slid a duffel bag from her shoulder. Rupert watched curiously as she removed a shallow brass brazier and a plastic sack of multi-colored sand and placed them in the middle of the floor. Angel and Willow drew a chalk circle around the brazier. It was large enough for two people to stand next to the brazier and still be inside the circle. Angel picked up the bag of sand and held it in his palm as if judging its weight.

"What is that?" Rupert dipped his head toward the sand.

"Fire sand." Angel caught his glance. "It's integral to the spell."

"It's not actual sand," Willow added and wrinkled her nose. "It just looks like sand. You really don't want to know how it's made."

"She's right about that," Anya said in aside to Xander.

Xander frowned at Anya and turned to Angel. "Okay. You've got the Dagger, some funny colored sand and a brass bowl. Like I said before, now what?"

"Now," Angel replied, "Willow and I perform the spell to send the Dagger to Buffy and Giles while you all stay outside of the circle."

"That's it?" Xander raised his eyebrows.

"That's it."

"Don't forget this," Anya reached into the duffel bag and pulled out a propane wand. She handed it to Angel and stepped back, dragging the bag with her, until she was several paces from the circle.

"Yeah, can't have fire without...fire," Willow said with a smile.

"Fire?" Rupert examined the bag of sand again. "Then you were being literal when you called it fire sand."

Angel nodded. He stepped to the coffee table and carefully picked the Dagger up by its handle.

Xander clapped a hand on Rupert's shoulder. "Just a hint. Things around here tend to be called descriptive names because they do, describe them that is. So if someone tells you that the big scary thing coming at you is called a poison spitting demon..."

"Duck?"

"Right." Xander grinned. He jerked his head toward Anya. "What say we join Anya? She knows about the spell and she seems more comfortable over there."

"Good plan." Rupert smiled slightly and glanced at Buffy. "Coming?"

She nodded and followed them.

Willow and Angel stepped inside the circle and faced each other across the brazier. Angel carefully poured a portion of the sand into the bottom and laid the Dagger across the top, supported by the brazier rim. He lit the wand and touched it to the sand causing a bright blue flash and a billow of red smoke to curl into the air. He nodded once to Willow.

Willow raised her hands until they were just below her shoulders, palms facing Angel. They began to chant in unison in an odd language that Rupert didn't recognize. He strained to make out the words, but they eluded him. Their voices rose and fell in a hypnotizing cadence. Each time their voices rose in volume and they spoke a word of command Angel tossed a handful of the sand onto the brazier causing yet another flash and billow of smoke.

A shimmering in the air surrounding them startled Rupert. He squinted slightly, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the shimmering grew more distinct. It was like the disturbance one saw on a hot day when the air rose in waves from overheated pavement. Rupert reached out his hand, but couldn't feel any heat. Magic, he thought ruefully. Somehow he doubted that he'd ever get used to it.

The cadence of the chanting grew in intensity and then suddenly stopped as Angel threw one last handful of sand on the brazier. It resulted in a flash so bright that Rupert closed his eyes in response. When he opened them the shimmering was gone and so was the Dagger.

"Did it work?" Xander asked anxiously.

Willow and Angel exchanged a long look. Willow turned to Xander and took a deep breath.

"Well, the Dagger's gone. If we did this right, it's with Giles and Buffy." She bit her bottom lip.

"Isn't there any way to know for sure?" Xander shook his head.

"It does seem as though this was a rather dangerous thing to do if you can't tell whether it succeeded." Rupert frowned.

Angel shrugged. "Willow and I performed the spell correctly. All we can do is wait and trust that it worked. Have some faith." He smiled slightly.

Xander smacked his forehead. "Have some faith he says. Why didn't I think of that? And gee, you're just the one I feel all warm and fuzzy about having faith in." He glared at Angel.

"Then have faith in me," Willow said. She gestured at Anya. "Or in your girlfriend. She's the one who suggested it." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"I hate it when you do that," Xander grumbled.

Rupert hid a smile. "I suppose we'll just have to wait then. How long do you think it will be before we know?"

Anya pushed herself away from the wall and shrugged. "Depends on how long it takes Giles to figure out how to use it. They keep telling me how smart he is, so I guess it could be any time now."

Xander winced. "Giles is smart, but let's remember that he's in an unfamiliar place."

Rupert rubbed his chin. "Not so unfamiliar, actually. My world is very similar to this one. And he might just have an edge."

"Edge?" Willow asked. "What kind of edge?"

He hesitated, uncertain as to their reaction to his news. "You see, I asked a friend of mine to fly down from Berkeley and meet Buffy. He may be able to help them."

"What friend?" Willow tilted her head and gazed at him curiously.

"His name is Allen Doyle."

"Doyle?" Angel shut his eyes.

"You don't think it's the same..." Xander turned to Willow.

"Short, obnoxious, Irish?" She looked at Rupert and raised an eyebrow.

He smiled. "Buffy seemed to recognize his name as well. Is he a friend of yours here?"

Willow opened her mouth, but didn't speak. She glanced at Angel.

Angel looked away and said, "He was. He's dead."

Rupert's breath caught. "I'm sorry. But in my reality he's very much alive. And he has a rather unique view of magic. I'm sure he'll help if he can."

"Great. Have faith and trust in a dead guy." Xander sighed. "We're doomed."

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Zosima pounded her fists against the table furiously. The spell had been a near disaster. She'd been so sure that all she needed was the _Malleus_ and that she'd be able to handle the rest. The spell wasn't difficult, though it was definitely beyond her natural capabilities. It wouldn't matter, she'd thought, because she'd tap enough of the entity's power to enhance her own. It was a solid plan.

Brilliant, she thought bitterly. Just brilliant. Her arrogance had blinded her to the fact that lately her control over the entity was tenuous at best. In her haste to complete the spell she'd nearly been overcome. She pressed a shaking hand over her eyes. So close! There had to be some way to get the power she needed to complete the spell.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Panic wouldn't serve her needs and she wasn't about to give up now. If she couldn't use the power within her, she'd just have to get the power from something else. Perhaps the people who had the _Malleus_ would provide what she needed. They'd just have to be convinced to reveal the source of their power. Whether they wanted to or not. Zosima smiled grimly.


	15. Chapter 15

Buffy crossed her arms, leaned back against the bar and glanced across the room. The sight of Willow and Doyle sitting on the couch engrossed in conversation made her twitchy. She noticed that Xander didn't seem to be any happier about it either, though she had a sneaking suspicion that his reasons were different than hers. She sighed and wondered if she could slip out for awhile without Giles noticing. He'd insisted that they stay together and he was probably right, but she'd never been any good at waiting.

"Something wrong?" Giles asked, his voice low.

"Nah. It's just weird, you know."

"Doyle?"

"Yeah. Do you think he knows?"

"What?" Giles frowned and looked across the room.

"That he's part demon." Maybe that was what was making her so twitchy.

"Is he? Perhaps this Doyle isn't." He glanced down at her and raised an eyebrow. "Unless you've had some sense of him."

"My Spidey-sense? Not really. Not like the Doyle at home. I still don't understand that, you know."

"You mean because he's dead?" Giles raised an eyebrow.

"You have to admit that was strange even for the Hellmouth."

He smiled. "Perhaps. We may never know just who or what it was that visited us."

"So are you saying that what I sensed wasn't necessarily the demon in Doyle, but the fact that he was dead? Or whatever?"

Giles shrugged. "As I said, we may never know. But you don't get the same sense from this Doyle?"

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm getting nada, nothing, zip. Well, nothing other than the fact that I get the willies every time I remember he's a physicist."

"Ah."

"Giles? Do you ever wonder if the universe is just playing with us? Like all this is some giant game of cat and mouse? You know, one big practical joke?" She waved her hand in the air.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a half-smile. "I've often thought that human existence was a cosmic joke, but I rather doubt that the universe has enough of a sense of humor to plan all the things that happen to us. Unfortunately that's mostly our own doing."

"Mostly?"

"Well, some of the credit does have to go to the demon and vampire population after all."

"They do keep things interesting."

Xander walked over to the wet bar and poured himself a soda. He smiled at them, or at least Buffy thought he meant the grimace on his face as a smile.

"What's the big conversation about?" She jerked her chin at Willow and Doyle.

Xander shook his head. "I lost track somewhere around the time they started talking about the relationship of magic, quantum fuzziness and hybrid phantom realities. That guy bugs me, but I'm not sure why."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Willow seems pretty fascinated by what he's got to say. Couldn't have anything to do with that, could it?"

Xander frowned. "Are you saying I'm jealous? She's only interested in him because he's a physicist and he's talking about magic. Can't be too many scientists out there with that kind of open mind."

"But you still don't like it, huh?"

"No. But I'm not jealous."

"Welcome to the Land of Denial. A vacation there can be fun, but you don't want to take up permanent residence." She smiled.

"I guess. So what's next? We can't sit around here forever waiting for you to go home." Xander sighed and looked at Giles. "You know what I mean."

"Yes Xander, we know what you mean." Giles rubbed his chin. "We need to find the _Malleus_. And the only way I can think to do that will be to find the demon that took it. Unfortunately I don't have access to the references that I need."

"Maybe Will can find something on the 'net." Buffy pursed her lips. "That is if we can pull her away from Mr. Suave over there long enough for her to do a search."

Xander held up a hand. "Oh please. Allow me."

He moved a few steps from the bar when a low boom sounded behind him. He whirled and gaped at the dagger that appeared out of thin air, chest high, in approximately the same place that he'd just been standing. It dropped to the carpet with a muted thud.

"Giles."

"I see it." Giles' mouth thinned to a tight line.

"It's the Dagger." Buffy glanced up at him, her eyes wide. "How did it get here?"

Allen and Willow broke off their conversation and joined them, standing next to Xander. Willow stared in fascination at the object on the floor.

Xander cleared his throat. "Better question. If I'd been standing there, would it have...you know?" He pointed at the dagger and then at his body.

Giles shook his head. "I doubt it. Two items can't occupy the same physical space, after all. I'm reasonably sure it would have appeared in a different location."

"Oh."

Willow turned a wide-eyed gaze on Xander, her mouth making a silent 'oh.' He smiled and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her gently against his side.

Buffy put her hand on Giles' arm. "Back to my question. How? And why?"

Giles tilted his head. "I can only guess. While I was still in our own reality we discussed possible ways of bringing you home. Anya suggested that we use the Dagger."

"So you're saying that our friends sent this to us?" Buffy frowned.

He nodded. "I was against the idea of using it because of the inherent danger. I thought to leave it as a last resort, in case our other options didn't work."

"Looks like they think we're out of options."

"They may be right." He raked a hand through his hair. "Of course, now that we have the damn thing we still have to figure out how to use it. Anya wasn't very clear on that part. All she could tell us was that a sorceress named Zosima told her that the Dagger had the same magical properties as the Emerald Tablet. This Zosima thought the Dagger could be used to open inter-dimensional portals."

"Zosima?" Allen frowned. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"Perhaps there was a Zosima in your history as well." Giles shrugged. "Anya said that she met her in the 1500s."

"The 1500s? Who is this Anya anyway?" Xander asked.

Buffy bit her bottom lip. "Anya is...well, she's a former vengeance demon. 'Course she's human now. And she's our Xander's girlfriend."

"Your Willow has a werewolf for a boyfriend and I'm dating a former demon. Or my double is." Xander said. "What, are all your friends cursed?"

"They don't exactly see it that way. Though Xander does seem to be something of a demon magnet." Buffy grinned.

Allen snapped his fingers. "Got it. I knew I'd heard that name before. It's not a person. It's a company. Zosima Imports. They specialize in the import and export of fine art and antiques. Been in business for over a hundred years. Highly respected and all that."

"Import export?" Buffy raised an eyebrow. "And you know about this because?"

"I have a cousin who went to work for them in London. Sounded too boring for words, but I remembered the name of the company because it was unusual." He shrugged.

"Giles, you don't think?"

"I'd say it's a long shot, but I'm unwilling to dismiss anything out of hand. We'd better check into it. Especially if it turns out that they have an office here in Sunnydale."

"What do you want me to do with this thing?" Xander released Willow and reached down for the Dagger.

"Don't touch that!" Buffy and Giles shouted.

Xander snatched his hand back. "Why?"

"That dagger's known as the Soul Eater. Even a scratch from it is fatal." Giles glanced around the room. "Xander, would you fetch a towel from the bathroom, please."

"Sure."

Willow stared at the Dagger. "Soul Eater? Does that mean what it sounds like?"

"Yeah," Buffy said. She drew in a shaky breath. "It devours a person's soul. Not at all an experience I recommend."

A speculative expression crossed Allen's face. "You've been through it, yes? How did you survive?"

She closed her eyes. "My friends cast a very difficult and dangerous spell." She looked directly into his eyes. "Like I said. Not an experience I'd recommend."

He nodded. "Can't say as I'm all that keen on trying it."

Xander returned carrying a bath towel and handed it to Giles. Giles knelt and spread the towel out on the floor. He carefully grasped the Dagger's handle and placed it on one end. He rolled the towel up around it and tucked in the ends.

"I think I'll just put this in one of the suitcases. I wouldn't want the maid to find it and unwrap it."

"Good idea." Buffy watched him carry the bundle to the bedroom.

"So, you want me to go on the 'net and try to find out about this Zosima Imports?" Willow asked.

Buffy nodded. "We also need to see if we can find a reference to the demon that took the _Malleus_. It leaves symbols from the _Malleus_ at the scenes of its handiwork, so Giles figures it must be associated with the book."

"Okay. I'll search for references to stories about demons and the _Malleus_. Anything else?"

Giles returned from the bedroom. "That's all I can think of for now. Unless someone else has a suggestion? Very well. We'll just have to wait for the results of Willow's search."

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"You understand what you must do?" Zosima stared unseeing out the picture window at the panorama before her. She felt curiously distant from everything around her. Even from the demon at her back.

"You want the magic user."

"Alive."

"Alive."

She heard the reluctance in the demon's voice and turned. "He must be able to function."

The demon nodded once.

"Understand me. I will give this person to you to do with as you please after I'm through with him. But only if you bring him to me alive and unharmed. Fail and I'll destroy you."

"So you keep threatening. Yet I'm here."

"Only because you've managed to get me what I want in spite of your...indulgences." Zosima sneered. "I can't afford another of your lapses this time. You must follow my instructions to the letter."

"This time." The demon raised its glittering red eyes to her face. "I still wait."

"You're not patient enough for the time it will take." She narrowed her eyes. "Go."

She watched the creature stalk out the door and shook her head. It was becoming far too challenging of her authority. No matter what happened with this assignment, she was going to have to get rid of it. Ah well, good help was so hard to keep. She shrugged and turned back to the window.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"Okay. Here's the scoop." Willow rolled her shoulders and looked up from her laptop. "First the import export thing. Zosima Imports is owned by a holding company. I had a little trouble tracking down the ultimate owner, but I found it."

"Don't keep us in suspense, Will. Who is it?" Buffy leaned forward on the couch.

"The trail leads to a woman named Zosima Panopolis. Funny thing. I couldn't find any official records about her. No date or place of birth, that kind of thing. Oh and you'll find this interesting. She must be quite wealthy. She has homes in several cities around the world like London, New York, Rome. And she just happens to have a house right here in little old Sunnydale." Willow smiled.

"Isn't that a coincidence," Giles murmured. "Perhaps there's more to this Zosima than Anya let on."

Allen frowned. "Or maybe she's the descendant of the founder of the company."

"And the lack of records?" Buffy asked.

"So she's private and has her personal information locked down so nosy people can't access it." He shook his head slowly. "Not everything has to be related to your situation."

Buffy laughed. "You'd think that, wouldn't you? But somehow it just never turns out to be true. I don't believe in coincidence."

"I'm afraid I agree with Buffy." Giles stood and crossed his arms. "In any case, we'll have to check it out. Willow, do you have the address of the house in Sunnydale?"

"Yeah, I wrote it down here. But guys, there's more. You wanted to know about demons and the _Malleus_. I found references to several, but no descriptions of them or how they're connected to the book. The reference works were cited and a few of the books are in the UC Sunnydale library in the Anthro section."

Buffy watched Giles pace slowly around the room. "What do you think? I hate to split up, but either of these could hold the answer."

He nodded. "Yes. Here's what I propose. Willow and Xander will go to the library and get the books. You and I will visit the address for this Zosima and see what we can find out."

"What about Allen?" Buffy frowned.

"Don't worry about me. I'll tag along with Willow, if I might? Give me a chance to see the campus and all that."

"Very well then." Giles stopped his pacing and looked at each one in turn. "Don't take any chances. We don't know where the demon is or what it wants. Be as quick as you can and we'll do the same. We'll meet back here."

Xander nodded. "See ya soon. Come on Will, let's go."

Buffy watched the three of them leave and turned to Giles. "Ready?"

He grabbed the slip of paper Willow had left with the address and nodded.

"Let's do it then."

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

An hour later Buffy and Giles sat on top of a picnic bench in a park across the street from Zosima's house. House wasn't grand enough, Buffy thought. Estate was more like it, with large picture windows that glittered as they reflected the rays of the setting sun. The house stood on a rise and overlooked the small city of Sunnydale.

"Well. It's certainly well manicured for a den of evil. Whaddaya think? Home to a sorceress and demons? Or just somebody's home?" Buffy rested her elbows on her knees and leaned forward.

"Hard to say." His gaze wandered over the house. "I think we'd better assume the worst."

"Okay, so how do you want to do this? Break down the front door or sneak in the back?" She grinned when he frowned at her.

"That isn't funny."

"Come on Giles. I was joking." She placed her hand over her heart. "Seriously, what do we do now?"

He shrugged. "I suppose sneak in the back is the safest plan. I just wish we had a better idea of what we're facing."

"Yeah." She glanced at the sky. "Might as well wait until it's fully dark before we make our move."

They sat on the bench while the sun dipped below the horizon. The silence was complete, as if a cocoon of cotton that damped out all noise surrounded them. Twilight gave way to darkness and lights began to appear in the city below them. They waited quietly, lost in their own thoughts, and they both started at the sharp sound of twigs breaking.

Buffy peered across the street at the source of the noise. She grabbed Giles' arm and jerked her head at the cloaked figure that emerged from the brush next to the low fence at the edge of the estate. Her eyes widened as the figure turned to the house and stepped under the dim street light. The demonic visage was hideous, but the thing that struck fear into her heart was the body it carried slung over its shoulder. A body that was covered in black cloth from under which fell long red-brown hair. The demon walked swiftly to the front door and entered the house.

Buffy took a shaky breath. "That was Willow. That thing has Willow." She stood and would have crossed the street to the house if Giles hadn't restrained her.

"Wait."

"It's got Willow! Wait for what? The cavalry to show up?" She clenched her fists and glared at her Watcher.

"I want to go after Willow as badly as you." He sighed and shook his head. "But now we know that our suspicions are true. If we rush in there we run a very good chance of being captured or worse. We need to regroup and think through a plan."

She glanced between the house and Giles and clenched her teeth. "I don't like leaving her there."

"Neither do I." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "But we'll do more good if we return to the hotel and find out what happened. We don't even know if Xander and Doyle are all right."

"You're right. I know you're right." Her expression hardened as she stared at the house. "But I hate this. And whoever is responsible is going to pay."

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles opened the door to the hotel room and flinched backwards as Xander swung a lamp at his head.

"Hey! Watch it!" Buffy pushed Xander into the room.

"Sorry. I didn't know it was you and--"

"We know about Willow," Giles interrupted.

"How? Did you see her?" Xander looked behind them and frowned. "Where is she?"

Buffy shook her head and closed the door. "We saw a demon carry her into the house we were checking out. The one owned by that Zosima chick."

"And you didn't go in and save her? What kind of superhero are you?" Xander glared at her.

"A living one." Giles took the younger man by the arm and propelled him to the couch, pushing him down to sit next to Doyle.

"Still, it's a valid question, yes?" Allen asked. "If you saw her, why didn't you try to rescue her?"

"Because we didn't know what we'd be walking into. We want to get Willow out alive and to do that we need more information. Why did the demon take her and how? What happened?" Giles sat down on the coffee table and faced Xander.

Buffy sat next to Giles and glanced at Xander and Doyle. Her eyes narrowed as she took in their ragged appearance. Xander had a shallow gash across his forehead. His arms were scratched and his shirt was ripped in several places. A large bruise was forming on Doyle's right cheek and he looked rumpled and dirty, a marked contrast to the GQ image he'd presented when he first arrived.

Xander leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and dropped his head into his hands. "It happened on our way back from the library with the books. Whatever it was it jumped us on the path through the campus, knocked Allen into a tree, grabbed Willow and took off. I ran after them and managed to tackle it. I tried to fight it, but it was too strong and fast for me. Before I knew it I was on the ground trying to get up."

Allen spoke quietly, "By the time I got to Xander it was too late. They were gone. We didn't know what else to do, so we picked up the books and hurried back here."

"Did it say anything?"

"What?" Xander lifted his head and stared at Buffy.

"The demon. Did it say anything while you were fighting it?"

"Say anything? No, I don't...wait a minute." Xander frowned. "It didn't make sense to me, but maybe it's something. Just before it smacked me to the ground it muttered something like _kids uni will pay._ Mean anything to you? 'Cause it sure sounded like gibberish to me."

Buffy shook her head and glanced at Giles. "Nope. How about you?"

Giles looked at Xander sharply. "Are you sure? It wasn't

_kitsune_, was it?"

"Yeah. It did sound more like that."

"Oh dear lord."

"What is it?" Buffy grasped Giles arm.

He rubbed the back of his head. "There is a legend about a spirit that walked the earth before the demons arrived. They called it the Kitsune and it terrified them. It's always been assumed to be a myth."

"Kinda like the demon version of the bogeyman?" Buffy asked.

"I suppose you could put it that way, yes." Giles stood and paced the room slowly.

"Something that scares demons. That can't be good," Xander said.

"Unless it's on our side. What're the chances of that?" Buffy watched Giles pace.

"Slim to none, I'd venture." Giles stopped in the middle of the room and frowned. "Xander, you're sure the demon said the Kitsune would pay. You couldn't be mistaken about that?"

"What it said was weird enough for me to remember."

"But that doesn't make any sense."

"That's what I said." Xander turned to Allen. "Isn't that what I just said?"

Giles shook his head. "That's not what I mean. The Kitsune is a spirit. It has no form. How will the demon make it pay?"

"Maybe it was just being all blustery and pumping itself up. You know, like ballplayers before a game?" Buffy raised an eyebrow.

Allen gingerly touched the bruise on the side of his face. "Somehow I don't think it needed any help screwing up its courage."

Xander pounded a fist on his knee. "What's the point of this? We need to get to Willow before something bad happens to her."

"Xander, this is entirely pointy. There's something powerful out there that demons are afraid of. And we don't know if this demon is working for it or against it." Buffy scooted over on the coffee table and grabbed his fist.

Giles sighed. "We need to understand what we'll meet when we go to rescue Willow or none of us will make it out alive."

Xander closed his eyes. "I know. I just...I can't stand the thought of Willow being hurt."

"Neither can I. We will save her." Buffy waited until he opened his eyes and looked at her before she continued. "I promise you that I'll get her out of there. But Giles is right, I need to know what I'm facing."

Xander nodded and slowly relaxed his fist. Buffy squeezed his hand gently before letting go. He slumped back on the couch with a sigh.

"This just doesn't fit. Unless the Kitsune in this world is different somehow." Giles resumed his pacing.

"What is it that doesn't fit?" Buffy asked.

"The legends about the Kitsune say that it requires a corporeal body in order to be able to have an affect on the physical world."

Allen frowned. "You mean it can possess a person and force it to do things?"

"No. It has to be invited to enter a person."

"Then why are demons so afraid of it?"

"The Kitsune has great power when in a physical body and it rarely has trouble finding a host. It seduces with promises of its power. There's always someone who will believe that he will be the one to control it, instead of being the one controlled. And once inside a body, the Kitsune can access its magic. Legend also has it that the Kitsune delights in slowly driving its host insane."

"I've never heard of this Kitsune thing, but then, I'm not a demonologist." Allen leaned forward. "Perhaps we should use Willow's laptop and see what we can find on the 'net."

"What about the books you brought from the library?" Buffy asked. "Aren't they about demons?"

"Where are they?" Giles asked.

"Over there." Allen pointed at the bar.

Buffy watched Giles examine the titles on the spines of the books. He selected two books from the stack and set them aside. He picked up the first one and scanned the table of contents, only to close the book and set it down. He checked the second one and turned to the middle of the book.

"I've got something."

"About the Kitsune?" Buffy asked.

"No. It's the demon. Says here that it's a member of the _Cadre Maledicus_."

"Malformed cadre?" Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"Cursed Cadre. They revere the _Malleus_. Think of it as their book of truth or some such." Giles frowned. "According to this, whenever they kill they deface their victims with the symbols of the _Malleus_ as a sign of their devotion. Here's a picture." He handed the open book to Buffy.

"That's the demon we saw last night, all right." Buffy handed the book back to Giles. "How do I kill it? Is there some kind of special ritual or something?"

Giles read several pages and looked up, a puzzled expression on his face. "No, nothing special. Although it does say beheading is preferred to prevent it from being resurrected."

"Well, does it have any special powers?"

"No. It's just strong, nasty and will do anything for the _Malleus_."

She frowned. "So it took the _Malleus_. Why did it want Willow?"

"I don't know." He shook his head.

"What about this Kitsune thing? Is that in any of those books?" Xander asked.

"Not in these two." Giles cocked his head and looked at Doyle. "You suggested using the laptop. Do you know how to do this kind of search?"

Allen stood and stretched. "I may not be much of a demon fighter, but looking for information is one thing I am good at. If it's out there, I'll find it."

"Very good. We'll tackle the rest of the books." Giles divided the remaining stack and handed Xander and Buffy a set each.

Two hours later Allen shut down the computer and wandered over to the couch. Buffy closed her book and rubbed her eyes.

"Find anything?" she asked.

"Nothing. I couldn't even find a listing of the word _kitsune_ in any compendium of supernatural entities." Allen shrugged. "How about you? Anything in the books?"

"Not in mine." She glanced at Xander, who shook his head.

"Nor in these." Giles placed his last book on the coffeetable.

"What does that mean?"

Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm beginning to get a horrible idea."

"What?"

"Perhaps the Kitsune never existed in this world."

"But--"

Giles held up a hand. "Hear me out. What if it came from our reality somehow? That would account for there not being a record of it here."

"Like us?" Buffy asked softly. "Would that be possible?"

"Anything's possible, and if what I suspect is true it would have had to have a host in order to make the transition. It wouldn't have been able to open a portal without a body."

"Oh great. I see where you're going with this." Buffy turned to Allen and grimaced. "This is why I said I didn't believe in coincidence."

Allen glanced between Buffy and Giles, confusion on his face.

"Zosima," Giles said. "It has to be. The Kitsune must have used her as a host and crossed into this world from ours."

"That means that this Zosima is the same one that Anya knew, doesn't it?" Buffy asked.

Giles nodded. "I believe so, yes. I'd guess that she's tapped into the Kitsune's magic in order to lengthen her life."

"And she's crazy."

"Very probably."

"Any way to kill this Kitsune thing?"

"Not that I'm aware of, no. However, all the stories I've ever read agree that when it's in a physical host it resides in the stomach. A deep puncture wound is supposed to force it out of the body."

Buffy sighed in resignation. "Just what I like to hear. A crazy sorceress who's had several hundred years to learn how to control the power of a spirit that demons are afraid of. You know, when we get home I want a vacation."

"When we get home you'll be facing finals." Giles smiled slightly.

Buffy made a rude noise. "No rest for the Slayer. Well, come on then. Let's get some weapons together and go rescue Willow. No. Wait. We don't have any weapons."

"We've got that dagger-thing that your friends sent," Xander said.

Buffy glanced at Giles searchingly. "Yeah. We do. What do you think? Maybe that's why they sent it."

Giles frowned. "I'm not sure that it's wise to make that assumption. And the Dagger is dangerous."

She nodded. "I know how dangerous it is. But it's all we've got. And remember that bit about 'no coincidences?'"

Giles rubbed his forehead. "I suppose we have no choice."

"Now you're talkin'," Xander said, his voice tight. "When do we leave?"

Buffy stood up. "Now."

"I really think--" Giles began.

"Now Giles," Buffy said, her voice firm. "We're not going to get any better information, are we?"

"Probably not."

"And the longer we wait, the worse it will be for Will, right?"

"Yes."

"Then, get the Dagger and let's go get her." Buffy crossed her arms. "I want to go home."


	16. Chapter 16

"Giles, let's go already." Buffy crossed her arms and her foot tapped a silent staccato on the carpeted floor. "What's the problem?"

"And what are we going to do when we get there?" Giles raised an eyebrow, his voice deceptively mild.

"You mean, like a plan? Why do I always have to come up with a plan? For once can't we just rush in like the cavalry and save the day?" Her shoulders slumped at the expression on his face. "Right. No plan, dead Willow, dead Slayer, dead everybody. I get it. Really, I do."

"I understand how you feel, Buffy." Giles briefly placed his hand on her shoulder. "But all we can be sure of right now is that one of the Cadre Maledicus took Willow to a house owned by Zosima Panopolis. Everything else is speculation."

"What about that kitten-thing?" Buffy frowned. "The demon mentioned it, right? So isn't that more than speculation?"

Giles shook his head. "The presence of the Kitsune is merely a guess on my part. Granted, it's the best guess I can make, but it's still a guess."

"That's good enough for me, Spock." Buffy shook her head at Giles' blank look. "You know, you really need to get out more. Maybe spend some time in this century. I was just trying to say that your best guess is better than most people's hours of meticulous research. I trust you."

He looked at her doubtfully. "While it's nice to hear you say that--"

"I hate to interrupt the admiration-fest here, but Willow's not getting rescued any time soon while you two stand around and debate." Xander grimaced. "Look, Rup-, er, Mr. Giles, didn't you say that we're unlikely to find any more information than we already have?"

"Well, yes, but I--"

Xander held up his hand. "Then what good will waiting do? Unless you don't really want to try and rescue Willow. That isn't it, is it?" He narrowed his eyes, hostility radiating from his suddenly tense stance.

"Not at all." Giles mouth thinned.

"Giles is just being caution-man. It's his job." Buffy smiled slightly. "Keeping me from being dead is high on his priority list, which I can totally appreciate. But you know, with a little prodding he usually comes around."

"He's right, though." Allen shrugged at their startled looks. "We do need a plan. If we hare off to this house where Willow's been taken without one, well, I for one don't give us much chance at success. Think about that demon, Xander. It handled the both of us with ease. What if it's not alone?"

"That's a chance we'll have to take," Buffy said, a determined expression on her face. "The plan's gonna be pretty basic. We go over there and be all stealthy and find a way in. Once we're in we keep our eyes open. We find Willow and get her out, definitely avoiding a confrontation if we can. Anything else that happens we'll just have to play by ear."

"That's a plan I can live with," Xander said and crossed his arms stubbornly.

"I suppose that's the best we can do." Giles sighed. "Let's be off, then."

Buffy held up her hand. "Wait. You still have to get the Dagger."

Giles hesitated. "I'm not sure bringing the Dagger is a good idea."

"Yes, it is." A puzzled expression crossed her face. "Don't ask me why, but I have the strongest feeling that we'll need it."

He searched her face, then nodded once and without further comment he went to the bedroom to fetch the Dagger.

 

 

The group of four stood in the deep shadows under the trees in the park across from the estate and studied the dark house before them in silence. The only illumination came from a streetlight several yards down the street, its dim yellowish light casting odd shadows over the ground.

"So, now what?" Xander asked softly.

Buffy pointed to the dense underbrush several yards to the left of the house. "I think we can go through there. Those bushes will provide some cover in case anyone's looking out the windows. We'll make our way around the back of the house and find a way in."

"At least it's fairly dark out," Allen said and looked up at the sliver of moon hanging low in the sky.

"You guys stay close, OK? I know you're not used to this kind of thing, so try not to get separated from Giles and me."

Xander glanced at Allen and nodded. "I think we can manage that."

Buffy ran across the street hugging the shadows. The bushes were thick, but she managed to push them aside and easily climbed the short wrought-iron fence surrounding the estate. Once on the other side of the fence she waited for her three companions to join her.

They crouched by the bushes. Slowly she made her way forward, following the vegetation deeper onto the estate. The grounds were well tended and a remote corner of her mind thought that in another time she might find them beautiful. But this was now and the beauty before her was insignificant compared to the need to find their way into that house without being noticed.

Buffy halted and stared at the back of the house. As she looked for an entrance it struck her that there was something odd about it. She frowned and turned back to Giles.

"Does it look taller to you than it did from the front?"

Giles studied the house silently and nodded. "It appears to be built on some sort of knoll or rise. The builder must have cut directly into the rise to create a lower level."

"Like a walk-out basement, you mean?" Xander asked.

"Precisely."

Buffy pointed at the house. "OK. There's a door. We'll try that. If I can't open it without making a lot of noise then we look for a window." She ran towards the door, keeping to whatever shadows she could find and motioned for the others to join her.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Willow groaned. Her head throbbed painfully in time to some weird rhythm. God. Since when did the marching band practice on the quad outside her dorm? She opened her eyes and stared about her in confusion. This definitely wasn't her dorm room. Where in the world was she?

A rough hand circled her neck from behind and jerked her up to her knees. She risked a glance over her shoulder and wished she hadn't as she gasped at the sight of a demon leering down at her. Her memories of the attack as they left the library returned and she quickly scanned the room, searching in vain for some sign of Xander and Allen. Willow shifted her weight slightly in an effort to find a more comfortable position kneeling on the hard wooden floor. She twisted her hands, but they were bound tightly behind her back.

"It's about time you woke up."

The cold amusement in the voice sent shivers down her spine and she stared up at the woman standing in front of her. For a moment Willow thought she saw a dark cloud surrounding her, partially obscuring her from view. She blinked rapidly and the cloud dissipated yet a sensation of darkness still emanated from the woman.

The demon behind her growled and Willow curled down over her knees in an effort to make herself small. She closed her eyes and her mouth went dry. She tried not to shake as she waited for the monster to hurt her. After a few moments she cautiously opened her eyes and peered over her shoulder to see the demon standing a few feet further back. Something about the way it was standing puzzled her. Do demons sulk, she wondered? Slowly she straightened and turned to face the woman.

"W-who are you? What do you want?" Willow tried to control her stuttering. If this was a test of bravery then she was failing miserably and what was worse, she was sure that her counterpart in Buffy's world would know just what to do.

A cold smile crossed the woman's face. "Who am I? You may call me Zosima. And as for what I want, well, I want your magic of course. Why else would a little mouse like you be of interest to me?" She reached out and touched Willow's cheek lightly, laughing silently when Willow jerked her head away.

"M-magic?" Willow frowned. "But--"

"Oh please. Let's dispense with the tedious denials, shall we?" Zosima turned away and lowered herself gracefully onto a comfortable chair. "You managed to take the _Malleus Abyssum_ and you used it to perform a powerful spell. I can feel the magic surrounding you. I want it. I need it."

Willow shook her head in an effort to clear away her confusion, but the movement only succeeded in increasing the throbbing. It seemed that they were right in their suspicions about Zosima. And she wanted magic that Willow was positive she didn't possess. Now what was she supposed to do? Xander's face appeared unbidden in her mind's eye. He wouldn't stop until he'd convinced the others to try to rescue her. Suddenly she saw Buffy's face as well and she knew she had to buy them the time they needed to find her.

"Not that I'm agreeing here, but let's say you're right. That there's, um, magic around me," she said as calmly as she could manage. "What good will it do you? I don't know how to give it to you. And I don't know any spells."

Zosima raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps not. But I know how to take it from you. And that's all that matters, isn't it."

"W-what are you going to do to me?"

"Not a thing just yet. My man is preparing the chamber for the spell." She tilted her head and regarded Willow steadily. "I must say, you're taking this well, little mouse. Much better than I expected. I rather thought I'd be dealing with hysterics."

Willow shrugged and tried to appear unaffected. "I don't know much about this magic stuff. What should it matter to me what you do with it?" Her eyes widened. "I-it's not going to hurt, is it? The spell, I mean."

Zosima smiled. "It needn't. That is, as long as you cooperate."

Willow sat back on her heels and feverishly searched for a stalling tactic. She tried to ignore the low growling coming from the demon behind her. "I'm not much into pain. Maybe you could explain what's going to happen. That way I'll know how I'm supposed to, um, cooperate." Anything to keep her talking. And who knew, she thought? Maybe Zosima might say something that she could use to her advantage.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Buffy halted at a corner in the dark hallway and put her hand back, catching Giles on the chest to stop him. The others waited silently behind him. Cautiously she peered around the corner and then eased her way back. She pushed gently at Giles to indicate that she wanted them to move further down the hall in the direction they had just come. When she thought they were far enough she reached out and tugged on his shirt.

"There's some stairs to the left that go up and a doorway on the right just before them," she whispered. "I didn't see anything guarding the door, but some old guy came out while I was watching and went upstairs. He looked like a butler or something."

Giles pursed his lips. "How do you want to proceed?"

"I'm not sure that Willow will be in a room that's not guarded, but we should probably check it out anyway." She frowned. "Something about it bothered me. How about I see what's at the top of those stairs and you and the guys check out that room?"

Xander shook his head, a stubborn expression on his face. "No way. If you don't think Willow's in there then I'm going with you."

She looked at his expression and sighed. "OK. Fine. Whatever. Just make sure you stay back if we get attacked."

Allen's gaze flicked from Xander to Buffy. "I'll go with you as well. If that demon is upstairs you're going to need all the help you can get."

"Great. Just great." Buffy rolled her eyes and turned to Giles. "What about you? Investigating that room OK with you, or do you want to come too?"

His lips twitched and a touch of humor colored his voice. "I think I can handle the room by myself. The three of you be careful. When you find Willow head outside. I'll meet you out there."

She nodded. They split up at the door and Xander, Allen and Buffy turned to the stairs. Buffy glanced back and frowned as Giles slowly turned the doorknob and entered the room. Everything about this place was making her Spidey-sense tingle with warning. The faster they found Willow and got out of here, the happier she'd be. She sighed and followed the guys up the stairs.

 

 

The top of the stairs culminated in a small alcove off what looked to be the main entrance of the house. They were to one side of a grand staircase that swept upwards like something out of an old movie.

"Where to now?" Allen whispered.

Buffy shook her head slightly and then pointed at the staircase. "We keep going up. It's way too quiet down here."

They crept up the stairs. When they reached the landing Buffy glanced quickly to the right and then led them to the left down a long corridor. As they passed several closed doors without stopping, Xander and Allen exchanged baffled looks. Suddenly a door ahead of them began to open and Buffy turned to the closest door next to her, pulling the others through behind her.

The room they'd just entered was empty. Allen carefully cracked the door open and attempted to see out into the corridor. He motioned Buffy to his side and put his mouth close to her ear to whisper.

"A man and a woman just came out of that room over there and went towards the stairs. From your description I'd say that the man was the butler you saw downstairs." He closed the door quietly.

Buffy frowned. "We better check that room out. If Willow isn't in there, we'll look in all the rooms along this hall. I don't like that we haven't seen the demon that attacked you, but I get the feeling that when we find her we'll find it."

Xander wrapped his arms around his torso. "But you'll handle it, right? I mean, that's what you do."

She nodded. "It's what I do. And I'll deal with it if it's in there. But you guys have to get Willow out of here. No matter what. Promise." She waited for them to acknowledge what she was telling them.

Xander nodded. "That's why I'm here. I'll make sure she's out safe."

Allen frowned, but slowly nodded his agreement.

"Come on."

They silently left the room and crossed the corridor. Buffy turned the doorknob slowly until the door eased open. Inside the room the demon was hunched over Willow's cowering form, one clawed and scaly hand outstretched towards her. She froze at the tableau before her and then launched herself forward with a low cry.

The fight was fierce, fast and silent. Buffy found herself too busy trying to keep the demon from killing her to have time for any of her usual puns or quips. It was strong and it was quick and a shaft of fear shot through her as she realized that she wasn't able to get behind its defenses. A lucky break, just one, she thought desperately as she jumped back, putting some distance between herself and the claws that sliced through the air in front of her chest. One break was all she needed.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Allen pick up a wooden chair and swing it at the back of the demon's head. The impact distracted it just long enough for Buffy to make her move.

She punched it in the head and the demon jerked back, losing its footing as its claws skittered across the wooden floor. Its arms flailed as it tried to regain its balance. Buffy propelled herself through the air into a forward flip from a standing start. As she came down behind the demon she savagely twisted its head and heard its neck snap with a satisfying crunch. It dropped to the floor like a stone. Breathing heavily, she turned to see Xander helping Willow off the floor while Allen untied her bound hands.

Buffy smiled as Willow threw her arms around Xander. He held her tightly as if afraid she'd disappear. After a moment, Willow pushed herself out of his arms, brushing tears from her cheek with the back of her hand. She smiled at Buffy and Allen.

"I knew you'd come," she said. Her voice trembled as she added, "I'm just glad you got here when you did."

They turned and stared at the inert demon.

"Is it dead?" Xander asked.

"Oh yeah." Buffy didn't bother keeping the satisfaction from her voice.

"Good."

"Uh-huh." Buffy turned to Willow. "We need to get you out of here."

"Buffy, wait," Willow said softly. "We were right about Zosima. She's a sorceress. She thinks I have powerful magic and she wants it. That's why I'm here."

"She told you all this?" Buffy tilted her head.

Willow nodded. "I tried to keep her talking as long as I could so you guys would have time to find me. She went downstairs to check out her 'chamber.' Said she wanted to make sure that the preparations were ready for the spell. She'll be back up here any minute."

"Downstairs?" Buffy's eyes widened. "Giles! I knew that room was bad news."

"What makes you think the room you asked him to investigate is the same as the chamber Zosima told Willow about?" Allen asked.

"What're the odds it's not?" she replied grimly. "Besides, it pretty much has to be considering the vibes I got from it. All right, this is what we're gonna do. You guys get Willow out of here and I'll make sure Giles is OK. Don't wait around outside. We'll meet up back at the hotel."

"But--" Willow began urgently.

"No buts. We came here to rescue you."

"Be careful," Xander said softly as they left the room.

Buffy smiled slightly. "You too."

 

 

Buffy hesitated in front of the door. Was Giles still in there? Her Spidey-sense had moved from a tingling awareness to a full-fledged screaming that badness awaited her in that room. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

The room was empty save for a tall table at one end. The table looked suspiciously like an altar and it held a variety of objects as well as a large book that might be the _Malleus_.

Zosima lounged against the table, an amused look on her face. Giles stood in the middle of the room, his posture stiff and tense and his face flushed as if from embarrassment. There was an undercurrent of something odd in the room and Buffy's eyes narrowed as she tried to decipher just what it was. She looked the sorceress over measuringly and didn't like what she saw. The woman was tall and attractive and dark and she was looking at Giles in a way that made Buffy's hackles rise.

She crossed the room to stand next to her Watcher. His gaze touched her briefly before returning to Zosima.

"Everything all right?" he asked quietly.

"We're good," she replied. "One dead demon. One rescued Willow. They're on their way to safety as we speak."

"Good."

"So. What's up with her?" She jerked her chin at the sorceress.

"We were just discussing that when you joined us." Giles glanced down at her again and smiled slightly. "Or rather, we were just disagreeing."

"Ah."

Zosima snorted. "Disagreement would mean that there is a possibility of more than one outcome. Since that's impossible, there is no disagreement. It's merely a whim on your part. And not a very pleasant one at that. I mean, if you're going to fantasize, shouldn't you have a bit more fun with it?" Her lips curved in a seductive smile.

Giles shook his head. "Stop that."

"Stop what?"

Buffy glanced from her Watcher to the sorceress in confusion. What was going on here? She wasn't actually flirting with Giles, or was she? Buffy frowned.

"Look, I hate to interrupt, but I think we should go." Buffy looked up at Giles.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Zosima said. "I need what you have." She arched an eyebrow and stared at Giles.

"Yeah, well, you can't have it, whatever it is," Buffy said tersely. "Come on, Giles, we're out of here."

"I told you, I can't let you do that." The annoyance in her voice was reflected on her face.

"And how're you gonna stop us? I don't see your pet demon around, do you?" Buffy pretended to look around the room. "Oh, right. That'd be because it's dead." She folded her arms.

Zosima shrugged. "It wasn't the brightest of associates and frankly, it was becoming more of a liability than it was worth. You've simply saved me the effort of eliminating it myself. I suppose I should thank you for that."

"Don't mention it." Buffy grabbed Giles' arm and tugged in the direction of the door.

"Stop."

"Or what? You'll talk us to death?" Her eyes widened. "Giles? I thought you said she's human."

He frowned at her. "Yes?"

She nudged his arm. "Look at her eyes."

"Good lord."

Zosima's eyes had changed. They were black. Completely black. There was no white and no color. Just empty glittering blackness.

"You really don't want to find out what I'm willing to do to keep you here," she said softly. "Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to meet my, ah, 'friend.'"

Buffy watched in fascination as Zosima's eyes returned to normal. She looked up at Giles. "What is she?" she asked softly.

"Human. And something more. I believe we were correct in our assumptions," he said thoughtfully.

"The kitten-thing?"

"Kitsune," he said absently, his eyes never leaving Zosima.

"Hey! I'm right here." Zosima glared at them. "You can talk directly to me, you know."

"She sounds a little crazy, if you ask me." Buffy stared at her.

Zosima rolled her eyes. "You don't know what crazy is, little girl. Believe me, I do. Let me tell you, I've gone mad a few times over the years. Relieved the overwhelming tedium of this world. Rather like taking a vacation." She looked thoughtful. "You know, I haven't done the madness bit once this century. Perhaps I should have. Ah well, time enough for that after I'm home and rid of this parasite."

Buffy exchanged an alarmed look with Giles.

Carefully choosing his words he said, "Home? I'm afraid I don't understand."

Zosima chuckled. "Now, now. None of that. Of course this isn't my home. I've been stuck here for far too long. I finally find what I need to open the doorway back, and what happens? You two blunder in and rescue the little mouse. No matter. I sense even stronger magic around the two of you, so you'll just have to take her place."

"This means she's definitely from our world, right?"

"I'd say so, yes." Giles ran his hand through his hair. "She doesn't belong here, Buffy. We can't just leave her to wreck further havoc on this world."

Buffy tilted her head. "So Giles, just checking. Any chance we can appeal to her sense of humanity? You know, doing the good-deed thing? I mean, I know it's a long shot, but--"

"Don't count on it, Blondie. I'm not about to make a sacrifice of myself for you or anyone." Zosima laughed derisively. "What a load of crap. And if you believe that anyone ever makes a selfless gesture without expecting a reward, then you're even more naive than I thought possible."

"You're wrong," Buffy said. "People do make those kind of decisions. They do it all the time. And I'm not naive. I've seen more than my share of evil and misery. But I choose to also see the good that's in the world."

Zosima raised an eyebrow and said dryly, "Really. How wonderful for you. Must be fun living that high up over the rainbow." She turned to Giles. "What about you? Are you into noble self-sacrifice? Or do you take a more realistic view of...things?" She raked her gaze over his body and stepped away from the table, moving closer to him.

Giles flushed. "I understand how the world works, if that's what you're asking. Most people would rather not know about the evil that surrounds them. They'd prefer live their quiet, uneventful lives and not be bothered with having to make hard decisions about good and evil. That's one of the reasons why it's so easy for demons and vampires to exist without more people being aware of them. Yet worse than the evil and those who don't see it are the ones who do see, but refuse to care." He stared at her contemptuously.

Zosima's mouth lifted into a secretive smile. "Well, well. Good looking and principled, too. I may just have to keep you around for awhile. It's always fun to play with the self-deluded. Once I'm rid of this damn parasite and get home I'll be ready for a little R and R, and I think you might be just what the doctor ordered."

"Hey! Watch your mouth." Buffy glared at her. She stepped forward, fists on her hips.

"Tsk, tsk. Don't be so stingy. After all, you're obviously not using him for anything. At least let the poor man have some fun."

Zosima turned a sultry gaze on Giles. She reached out her hand and slowly ran her index finger down his cheek, stopping with the tip of her finger against his lips.

"How about it, handsome? Don't you deserve a little fun as a reward for dealing with Dorothy here? There are so many possibilities." She dropped her hand.

"That's it! I've listened to about all the crap I can stand from you." Buffy narrowed her eyes.

"Buffy."

"Don't you 'Buffy' me, Giles. I won't allow this."

Zosima chuckled. "And just what are you going to do to stop me? Stamp your little feet and whine at me until I die laughing? Such a child. Stick to your toys, little girl and let the grownups deal with adult matters."

"Oh, that tears it," Giles muttered and rolled his eyes. He folded his arms and waited for the inevitable explosion. His jaw dropped when Buffy started to laugh.

"You're good, I'll give you that. Thought you'd provoke me into doing something stupid didn't you? But you see, there was one thing you didn't take into account."

Zosima sighed dramatically. "Really. And what, pray tell, was that?"

"I'm the Slayer. And I do, on occasion, listen to my Watcher." Buffy shot a sidelong glance at Giles. "I'm not sixteen anymore. Calling me names isn't going to make me forget a plan."

"Slayer?" Zosima frowned. "But there's no Slayer in this world."

"That's right. But then we're not from this world, are we? And I am the Slayer. As in 'Chosen One.' Look it up." Buffy's mouth curled up into a smug smile. "That's me. And this is my plan."

She darted suddenly to the left, drawing Zosima away from Giles, who sprinted for the table and opened the _Malleus_, rapidly turning its pages.

Buffy whirled and took the offensive, landing a series of short hard punches to Zosima's face and midsection that drove her backward away from the table and Giles. Zosima backpedaled swiftly, putting more distance between them. Her eyes were rapidly changing into black pools. She was letting the Kitsune take over.

Buffy was silently praying that Giles would find something to help them when she saw the door open behind Zosima. Her eyes widened slightly as Allen rushed into the room wielding a large length of wood. He took aim and swung it like a bat, solidly connecting with Zosima's shoulders and knocking her forward.

Buffy leapt into the air and kicked out, landing a solid crack to Zosima's chin that snapped her head back. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumbled to the ground like a limp washrag. Buffy stared down at the unconscious figure and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought it was all over when her eyes started to do that all-black 'I've got a demon inside me' thing." She looked up in time to see Willow come through the door pulling an obviously reluctant Xander behind her. "Not that I'm complaining, but I thought that I told you guys to get out of here."

Willow stood straight and said firmly, "I wouldn't let them. You needed to know what Zosima planned to do."

Buffy smiled slightly. "What? Add your magic to hers and open a doorway back to our world?"

Willow frowned. "You know? So then you probably know she planned on using a spell from the _Malleus_."

"No. But I guessed that's why she wanted the book." Giles looked up. "Do you know which spell?"

Willow nodded and made her way to the altar, Xander following close behind her. "I think I can find it."

Buffy smiled at Allen. "Thanks," she said softly. "Just like the cavalry."

"Pardon?" he asked puzzled.

"You arrived in the nick of time. For the second time tonight. Thanks."

"Oh." He grinned. "My pleasure."

Together they approached the table. Willow and Giles were reading from the _Malleus_, Willow growing excited the more they read. To Buffy's amusement, Xander hovered beside her as if unwilling to let her out of arm's reach.

"I think this is it," Willow said. She gazed up at Giles and smiled. "Think it'll work?"

Giles raised an eyebrow. "It should," he replied cautiously. "I believe it's a question of power. I'm not sure that I have sufficient magic to do this spell alone."

"Couldn't we do what Zosima was planning? She seemed to think that I had some magic she could add to hers and that would give her enough power to do the spell."

Giles sighed. "You don't know what you're asking. Channeling our Willow's power was one of the reasons I ended up here unplanned. It's a risky proposition and dangerous to those involved. I'm certainly not willing to place you in that sort of danger."

"But what other choice is there?" Willow asked softly. "And isn't it my decision to make?"

Giles shook his head.

"What about the Dagger?" Allen asked. "That's why you brought it, yes?"

Giles pulled the bundle out of his jacket and carefully unwrapped the Dagger, placing it on the altar. He stared down at it in frustration. "I don't know how to use it this way. It's not like the magic of a living being."

"Why? Isn't magic, well, magic?" Allen frowned.

"No. A person can use his or her will to channel their magic. It's conscious thought and direction. An inanimate object has no will. It just is. And an object is made for a specific purpose. Destroying souls in the case of the Dagger."

"But can't you just access its magic? You know, use it like a power source?" Xander asked.

"The Dagger isn't like a magic battery. You can't just pop it in and make something run. That sort of use requires a magic talisman. Something that someone has imbued with part of their life force. Unfortunately that's not the case with the Dagger."

Buffy sighed. "We need Zosima's knowledge, don't we?"

Giles rubbed his chin and nodded. "I'm afraid so. That is, if she truly knows how to use the Dagger for this purpose. That's a rather large 'if', if you ask me."

Xander shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, what now? I vote we take all this stuff and get out of he--"

"Too late."

Buffy whirled at the words that came from behind her. Zosima stood, swaying unsteadily and glaring at them. Her black eyes glittered and a darkness seemed to settle over her. The sinking sensation in Buffy's stomach told her that she wasn't facing the sorceress anymore.

"The Kitsune," Giles whispered.

"Oh boy," Xander muttered.

The thing in Zosima's body raised her arms in triumph and her voice thundered, "Finally! I have been trapped for too long in this prison of a mortal body, denied the control I should have had."

"Xander, get Willow out of here. Giles. Allen. You guys take the book and the Dagger and go. I'll take care of her," Buffy said quietly. She edged away from the table, trying to keep the Kitsune's attention on her while her friends escaped. The creature's glittering gaze never wavered. She frowned as she realized that the others hadn't moved. "What are you waiting for? Get out of here!"

"I won't leave you," Giles said calmly.

"We're in this together," Allen said, then added under his breath, "Too bad we don't have a clue what to do about it."

She made a frustrated noise. Why couldn't anyone follow her orders? Buffy shook her head and rushed the Kitsune, trying to take it by surprise.

It dove to one side, away from the attack and Buffy tumbled to the floor. She came up breathing heavily and braced herself to try again as the Kitsune scrambled to its feet. It held its arms straight out in front of its chest, palms facing Buffy, and began to chant rapidly in odd words that made Buffy's throat hurt as Zosma's mouth tried to pronounce them.

Buffy told herself to move, to jump at the demon and knock it down, but her body wouldn't obey her commands. She felt an odd tingling sensation in her head that spread rapidly through her body. Her surroundings suddenly seemed far away. The room began to run together like someone had taken a paint stirrer and started mixing. She was sure there was something she should be doing, but it was too difficult to think. So much easier to just let it go. A sound broke through the haze that surrounded her. She should know what it was, she thought, but her concentration flagged.

"Buffy, no!" Willow cried. "Giles, do something. It's going to kill her!"

"No. It won't," Giles said grimly.

Kill who? Buffy frowned. She heard Giles' voice from far off, as if he were at the end of a long tunnel. And then suddenly she found herself face down on the floor fighting a wave of nausea and pain. Gentle hands lifted her and she felt the solid warmth of her Watcher's arms around her, holding her close. She allowed herself a moment to relax and enjoy the odd sensation of feeling safe and protected. She pushed back, not enough to break the embrace, but enough so that she could smile up into her Watcher's worried face.

"What happened?" she asked softly. "One minute the room was going all modern art on me and the next I'm getting up close and personal with the floor. Where's Zosima?"

Giles wouldn't meet her eyes. "The Kitsune was using its magic on you. It was killing you. I had to do it."

She stepped back. "Do what?"

Allen raised an eyebrow. "He used the Dagger. Threw it at Zosima and caught her in the stomach. It worked too. You both went down like you'd been hit with a sack of cement."

"The Dagger?" Buffy frowned. "So, she's dead?"

"Not quite." Willow's soft voice sounded from the floor behind Giles.

They turned to see Willow and Xander kneeling beside Zosima's body. The sorceress appeared to be unconscious. The hilt of the Dagger protruded from her stomach like an obscene appendage. Blood stained the wound and slowly pooled on the floor beneath her.

Buffy swallowed heavily. For a moment she was back in their Sunnydale fighting Faith. Using Faith's own knife against her. She could see the whole thing happening again before her eyes in a kind of slow motion. Faith nearly beating her and then Buffy's own hand plunging the knife into Faith's gut. Blood flowing from the wound, covering her hands. The shock on Faith's face and the horror she had felt at what she had just done.

She blinked away the images and shook her head against the pain of the memories. That wasn't a place she wanted to visit again any time soon. This wasn't the same thing. Giles had just done what he had to do to save her. And Zosima wasn't Faith. Nor was she entirely human, for that matter. Buffy tried to focus on the fact that there was a monster inside the woman and that's what Giles had killed.

Buffy put her hand on Giles' arm and squeezed lightly, drawing his gaze. She searched his face, trying to let him know without words that she understood some of what he must be feeling. He smiled slightly and she relaxed in relief.

"Now what?"

"Now we finish it," Giles said. His expression turned grim as he looked down at the sorceress. "Lift her to the table."

Buffy picked up the limp form.

"Is there anything we can do?" Allen asked. "She is dying, yes?"

"She's dying. And I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for her, other than remove the Dagger. Zosima sealed her fate long ago when she chose to bring the Kitsune into her body." Giles' voice was harsh. "Unfortunately, when she dies, the Kitsune will be free in this world. And I can't think of a single thing that will prevent that."

Buffy knocked his hand away when he reached for the Dagger. She shook her head at his puzzled expression.

"I'll do it," she said softly. She'd told the Mayor-demon that the knife had slid in like butter, but she hadn't mentioned the sickening sensation when she'd pulled it out. She already knew what that felt like and she was damned if she'd let Giles live with that kind of memory too. She grasped the hilt and with one swift pull extracted the Dagger, swallowing the bile that rose with the memory of removing the knife from Faith.

They stumbled back from the table as darkness emerged from the wound like a cloud of thinly spread black oil. It rolled and roiled above Zosima's body, the slick surface reflecting colors where the light hit it.

"Holy shit," Xander whispered. "Is that the Kitsune thing?"

"Most likely," Giles replied. He clutched the _Malleus_ in front of him like a shield. He'd picked it up when the cloud had started to appear. "I believe a strategic retreat is in order."

"I hear you," Buffy said. She still held the Dagger out in front of her, but dropped it to the floor when the black cloud moved towards it. She jumped back. "What the hell?"

They all backed towards the door. Their attention was fixed on the cloud and the Dagger and none of them noticed the old man standing in the doorway behind them. The blackness began to swirl above the Dagger, forming a small funnel cloud.

"Giles, what's it doing?" Willow asked.

He frowned. "I'm not sure."

The tip of the funnel touched the Dagger and they covered their ears at the piercing squeal that erupted. The cloud was sucked down into the Dagger and within seconds completely disappeared, as did the noise. The Dagger glowed green and pulsed faintly.

"And that was what?" Buffy asked.

Before Giles could answer they heard a faint noise behind them and turned to see the old man in the doorway. His gaze moved from the Dagger on the floor to the figure on the table. He brushed past them and hurriedly made his way to Zosima's side.

"Madam!" His voice was full of anguish.

Buffy exchanged a glance with her Watcher and they stepped forward. The old guy didn't look dangerous, but Buffy wasn't about to make any assumptions.

Zosima's eyelids fluttered open. She looked at the old man and smiled the first genuine smile Buffy had seen on her face.

"Ralston." Her voice was cracked and husky, but her affection was evident.

"You're free now, Madam. You don't have to fight it anymore." He hesitantly reached out his hand and gently touched her cheek. "I'm sorry you didn't get to go home as you wished."

"It's all right. I think maybe it had to end this way. I should have listened to you in the first place. I'm sorry." She coughed and a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth. Her voice faded to a whisper. "I'll miss you Ralston." Her body stilled and her eyes stared sightlessly.

"Rest well, Madam," Ralston whispered as he gently passed his hands over her eyes, closing them. "I'll miss you, too."

He turned to face the five people staring at him in varying degrees of shock. His gaze traveled over them as if judging their worth. He nodded once, apparently satisfied with what he found.

"So, ah, Ralston, is it?" Giles rubbed the side of his neck as he stared at the older man.

"Yes sir." He smiled faintly. "I was Madam's personal assistant. I believe that's the correct term in this day and age."

"Personal assistant?" Buffy frowned. "Since when does a sorceress need a personal assistant?"

"I was originally her butler," Ralston said and then closed his eyes. "I came into Madam's employ when I was a lad of twenty and I've served her faithfully for over one hundred and fifty three years."

"But that would make you--" Allen said.

"One hundred and seventy three." Ralston opened his eyes. "Madam was pleased enough with my service to perform some small magics to extend my life."

"But you are human, right?" Willow asked.

"Of course." Ralston glanced back at the still figure on the altar and sighed. "As was she."

"Come on." Xander shook his head. "You're not gonna say that she wasn't responsible for her acts, are you? That the demon made her do it?"

Ralston shook his head. "No. Though it was a constant battle between them for the upper hand. And I do believe that it influenced her behavior in ways that she didn't understand. Ultimately she is responsible for the terrible things that she did or that she allowed to happen. You must understand that she wasn't completely evil. I know. And I tried to provide a balancing influence on her, to be a voice of reason. I'm afraid I wasn't very successful, though she did refer to me as her conscience."

"What will you do now?" Allen asked curiously.

Ralston's lips quirked into a small smile. "I've invested modestly over the years and I have a rather sizable retirement fund. I'm tired and quite ready to rest, now that Madam is gone." He stood straight and looked at Giles. "I'd imagine that you'd like to go home now. To your world, I mean."

Giles raised an eyebrow. "Yes. But how did you know?"

"I was at the door and overheard most of what was said."

"But you didn't interfere."

"No." He shook his head. "What could I have done? I'm just an old man."

"Can we get back to the part about going home?" Buffy asked. "Do you know how she was planning on doing it?"

"Yes. And I can tell you that it wouldn't work. In all the time I've known her, Madam has had two obsessions. Getting rid of the spirit inside her and returning to her own world. In order to serve her to the best of my ability I learned as much as I could about these two goals. I couldn't help with the first, but the second, well, I may not be able to use magic, but I'm not stupid."

Giles crossed his arms, a speculative expression on his face. "How long have you known the answer?"

Ralston sighed. "Forty years, approximately."

"Wait a minute." Allen held up a hand. "You've known how to send her back to her world for forty years. And you didn't tell her?"

He shook his head. "How could I? She still had that creature inside her." He seemed to realize their confusion. "She told me stories about her world, you see. About the demons and vampires and other evil beings that infested it. The things she did in this world where those creatures don't exist were bad enough. How could I return her to a world where she could command such evil?"

"But there was a demon. I know that was a demon I killed upstairs." Buffy frowned. "That was not just some guy in a demon suit."

"Occasionally Madam would manage to bring such a creature into this world to do her bidding. Fortunately it was very difficult for her. And she tended to be less than tolerant of their habits and generally killed them herself before very long."

"There's another reason you didn't tell her, isn't there?" Giles asked.

Ralston nodded. "I didn't believe there was enough magic in this world for the spell to succeed, which meant she would have to allow the creature inside her to take control. I couldn't let that happen."

"What's changed?" Willow asked. "You obviously think the spell will work for them."

"Ah, but you see, they've brought the magic with them. And they've defeated the creature, adding its magic to theirs. I believe it will be enough."

"The Dagger." Buffy's eyes widened as she stared at the knife on the floor. The green glow surrounding it seemed stronger than before. Was that possible?

"Of course," Giles said softly. "It must have subsumed the Kitsune. Its life-force."

"So does that mean that now it's like that magic battery you were talking about?" Xander asked.

"Possibly." Giles turned to Ralston. "What do we do?"

"The spell is in the _Malleus Abyssum_, just not the spell Madam thought to use. Here, let me show you." Ralston held out his hands for the book and turned the heavy pages until he found what he wanted. He handed the open book back to Giles.

Giles scanned the spell and then glanced at the older man in surprise. "This? But it's so simple."

Ralston gave him a wintry smile. "That is one reason why Madam overlooked it as well. She always thought only the most complex of spells would hold the answer. But I assure you it will work."

Giles turned back to the _Malleus_ and read slowly through the spell. He glanced once at the Dagger and then back to the book, nodding to himself.

Buffy wandered over to the table and looked at the sorceress. She turned at a gentle touch on her arm to find Willow standing next to her.

"Don't you think we should, you know, cover her or something?" Willow asked.

Buffy nodded. "It'd probably be easier if we didn't have to keep looking at her."

"Xander and I'll go find some sheets or a blanket or something." Willow took Xander's hand and led him from the room.

Allen took Willow's place next to Buffy. "Is it always like this?"

"Welcome to the world of the Slayer."

"Must be hard." He shook his head. "I'm not sure I'd have the strength to deal with this kind of thing on an ongoing basis."

She smiled. "It's amazing what you can learn to do when you have to. And it isn't all bad. I would like to go home, though. What's the point of a vampire Slayer in a world that doesn't have vampires?"

He stared at her, eyes widening in surprise.

"What?" Buffy frowned.

"Do you remember telling us that you don't believe in coincidence?" he asked softly.

She shrugged. "Yeah. Coincidence happens to other people, not me. Why?"

"We don't have a Slayer." He raised his eyebrows and waited.

"I know that. No vampires, no Slayer." She slowly shook her head. "No. You're saying that I'm here, that all this happened because your world needed a Slayer to rid it of the Kitsune? Oh, come on. That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it? I mean, she's been here for what? Several hundred years at least. Why now?"

"Maybe you're the first Slayer that had a chance of success," he replied.

"Success at what?" Willow asked, slightly out of breath. She and Xander had hurried into the room carrying armfuls of sheets. "We stripped one of the upstairs beds for these."

Xander glanced over his shoulder at Ralston who was speaking softly with Giles. "Yeah. Guess the old guy'll just have to put new sheets on it. Or not. Maybe he's planning on just leaving everything as it is when we go." He raised one shoulder in a slight shrug.

Xander and Allen arranged the sheets over Zosima's body, covering her from view. They all relaxed when they no longer had to avoid looking at the body.

"Buffy," Giles said, "I believe there's some chalk on the table. Would you bring it here, please."

She found the chalk and handed it to him. "Here you go."

Giles bent over and drew a chalk circle around the Dagger on the floor. He drew several odd symbols outside of the circle and then enclosed them in a larger circle. He stood and tossed the chalk to one side.

"Now what?" Allen asked.

"Now, we see if we can't get this spell to work." He smiled. "If this works we won't see you again. Though you will have our counterparts back. It's been interesting, but I'm sure you'll understand that we need to leave."

"I don't blame you. Though I'm not sure that I'd be in such a hurry to return to a world like yours if it were me." Allen smiled. "No offense."

"None taken." Giles looked at Willow and Xander. "Take care of yourselves."

Buffy hugged each of them briefly and then turned to Giles. "Lay on, MacDuff."

He beckoned her to follow him into the inner circle to stand next to the Dagger. He glanced at the others and said, "You might want to wait over by that far wall. I don't know exactly how this doorway opens or where."

They obediently moved away and Ralston joined them.

Giles took Buffy's hand and smiled down at her. "Ready?"

She nodded.

A look of intense concentration crossed his face and he began to murmur softly. Buffy could only make out a few of the words, but she didn't understand their meaning.

_...ostium...via una...domus..._ *

Suddenly the air between the two circles began twisting and distorting, as if the space between them was folding in on itself. A rushing sound grew in volume until it was a roar. She smiled when she heard Xander's exclaimed 'whoa!' and then there it was. An opening, like window or a doorway, and she could see through it into a room. The mansion! It opened onto Angel's mansion.

She bit her lip and looked up at Giles. "Do we go through it?"

He frowned. "I'm not sure. I thought we'd see the others..." His voice trailed off as their friends stepped in front of the doorway.

Buffy could see Willow, Xander and Anya. And then Rupert stepped into view and beside him was…well, it was her. And yet it wasn't her. It was like looking into a slightly odd mirror and not being sure if the reflected image was your own. Weird. She felt a tug on her hand and glanced at Giles.

"Now we go home," he said firmly and pulled her through the doorway at the same time as their counterparts stepped through from their end.

Buffy felt a brief coldness, but that was all. Then they were tumbling to the floor of the mansion. She looked back at the doorway, but it had disappeared. And then they were swept up in the embrace of their friends, all of whom seemed to determined to speak at once. She smiled and cried with Willow and hugged them all, but didn't even try to answer their questions. As their exuberant welcome calmed, she felt a presence off to the side, holding himself apart from the group. She knew without looking who it would be.

She turned and smiled at him. "Angel."

"Buffy." He tucked his chin towards his chest. "Welcome home."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She tilted her head at her friends who were talking animatedly with Giles. "No, I mean thank you. For taking care of them."

He nodded. "Always." He turned to the door.

"Where are you going?" She frowned.

"Now that you're home I'm needed back in L.A." And without further explanation he left.

She stared at the door in exasperation and shook her head. There were times when she was sure that even if she lived to be two hundred and fifty that she'd never understand what he was thinking. And then the reality that she was really home hit her.

She turned back to her friends in time to see Xander explaining something to Anya, a frustrated expression on his face. Willow was asking Giles to tell her all about the spell they'd used. And Giles had a slightly harried expression on his face. She grinned. God it was good to be home!

 

 

**Translation:**

*****...door...one way...home...


	17. Epilogue 1: San Francisco

"Rupert? Earth to Rupert!"

"What?" He looked up from his contemplation of his drink and smiled slightly at his friend's exasperated expression.

"I finally convince you to go out. I take you to the hottest club in the City." Allen waved his arm at the dance floor filled with gyrating couples. "And what do you do? You sit here staring into your scotch oblivious to the whole thing." He shook his head.

"Sorry. Guess I'm not really in the mood for this tonight." Rupert sipped his drink. "I didn't mean to spoil your fun."

Allen frowned. "I didn't drag you here for me. I was trying to get you to have a good time. You've been so preoccupied since..." His voice trailed off uncomfortably.

"Since coming back from Buffy's world?" he asked wryly.

"Well, now that you bring it up, yes." Allen shook his head. "I wish you'd talk about it. If anyone's going to understand it's me, yes?"

Rupert sighed. "I know. I didn't mean to shut you out, Allen. I've been trying to sort it all out in my head, but I just keep going around in circles."

"Maybe talking about it will help. And who knows, I may come up with some pithy advice." He grinned.

"Pithy. Right." Rupert smiled. "Very well. You know that her world is very much the same as ours?"

Allen nodded. "They said as much."

"But that's just a superficial similarity." He frowned into his drink. "I saw things there, Allen. Things you wouldn't believe."

"We fought a demon, Rupert. I think there's a lot I'd believe at this point," he said dryly.

"I keep forgetting that. So you know what I'm talking about."

"Yes. But those things, they're part of her world, not ours."

Rupert stared at his friend. "Something came here once from her world. What's to say that it won't happen again?"

"What're the odds? Come on, Rupert, you don't really believe that." Allen looked askance at him.

"After everything I saw in her world, I'm surprised it hasn't happened frequently. Did she tell you about Angel?"

"Who?"

"Angel. He's a friend. And he's a vampire."

"A what?" Allen frowned. "Surely you're joking. Isn't that the kind of creature she's supposed to kill?"

Rupert nodded, a half-smile playing on his lips. "This particular vampire is different. Seems he has a soul. We talked quite a lot about the dangers of their world. And he told me all about Slayers. Did you know a Slayer isn't expected to live through her teens? That to reach her twenties is considered old age?"

Allen shook his head.

"And the things that Buffy faces. You wouldn't believe the number of times she's quite literally saved their world. Can you imagine that? The kind of strength it must take to do what she does and still stay sane?"

"What is it that bothers you? That she's constantly in danger? Or that you aren't there to help?"

"I don't know how to explain it. I felt some kind of...connection is the best word I can come up with. I felt a connection with her. Like I didn't know that there was something missing and now that I do, there's no way to fix it." He drained his drink and pushed the empty glass away from him.

"What about the other one? The Buffy from our world?" Allen raised his hand and motioned to the cocktail waitress that they needed another round of drinks.

Rupert chuckled derisively. "You met her. Would you say that she's anything like her counterpart? I'm sure she's a pleasant enough young woman once you get past the whining and self-centeredness. But--"

"But she's not the Slayer?" Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Precisely."

"And the other two? Willow and Xander?"

Rupert rubbed his chin. "They're much closer to the ones I met in Buffy's world. A few differences, but they seem to have the same depth of concern and sense of responsibility. I had the impression before we left that they were as confused as I was by everything that happened."

"They aren't the only ones."

"I've been thinking of going back to Sunnydale."

"Why?"

He shook his head. "It seems to be some kind of, I don't know, nexus, perhaps? If something evil is going to enter our world, it'll show up in Sunnydale. And our world doesn't have a Slayer."

"What exactly are you saying, Rupert?" Allen asked cautiously.

"I'm saying that if another demon or whatever shows up that I want to be where I can do something about it. Besides, two of the four people who know what's possible are in Sunnydale."

Rupert watched his friend stare out at the dance floor. The waitress stopped and placed two drinks on their table. She picked up the empty glasses and moved on. He sipped his scotch and waited.

Allen turned back, a resigned look on his face. "Think UC Sunnydale could use another physicist on their staff?" He raised his glass.

Rupert grinned and clinked his drink against friend's glass. "I'm sure of it."


	18. Epilogue 2: Sunnydale

"Buffy?" Giles stepped through his front door. He put the stack of books in his arms down on his desk and crossed in front of the couch to peer at his Slayer. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Giles. Can't I just drop by and say hello?" She closed the magazine on her lap and tossed it onto the coffee table.

He hesitated for a moment. "Not that you aren't always welcome, but I thought you and Willow were studying for your final exams. Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? No. No. Nothing wrong here. What would be wrong? We're just taking a study break. I'm gonna meet Will again in an hour." She smiled up at him.

Giles slowly sat next to her on the couch, his gaze searching her face. "And so you decided to take your break in my apartment, did you?"

Buffy shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

He nodded. "Are you sure there's nothing bothering you? Would you like to talk about it?" Giles eyes narrowed as she averted her eyes and began to nervously pick at the hem of her blouse.

"Do you ever think about them?" she asked suddenly.

"Them?" he asked blankly. "Who?"

She glanced at him. "Our doubles. You know, from the other reality. Do you ever wonder how they're doing?"

He smiled slightly. So, that's what was on her mind, he thought. "Occasionally," he admitted.

"Why was I the only one who was different?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow you. They were all different."

"Giles, I've talked to the guys. The other Will and Xander, they were a lot like our Will and Xander. Doyle wasn't all that different, not in any way that counted. And Rupert." She sighed. "He could have been you. Well, except for not having the whole Watcher-experience. But the other Buffy? From what they told me, she was about as not-me as she could be without being a vampire. Why?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. Perhaps we were expecting too much from her. After all, how many people could handle that kind of experience and still be able to put their best foot forward?"

"I don't buy it. You, er, Rupert handled it just fine. No. That's not the answer." She frowned. "Do you think that that's what I would be like if I wasn't the Slayer? A spoiled, self-centered brat, afraid of my own shadow?"

"Buffy," he said and then fell silent. What could he tell her?

"That's OK, Giles. I know there's no real answer to that kind of question. It's just, ever since I found out I was the Slayer I've moaned and complained about how I wanted a normal life. About how it just wasn't fair. Why did there have to be vampires and demons in the world and why did I have to be the Slayer, you know?"

He nodded and waited for her to finish her thought.

"Then suddenly I'm in a world where it's all true. No vampires and demons, at least not normally, and I'm just like everyone else. And you know what? The person that I was in that world was not someone I'd want to know. And even before we learned about Zosima and her pet demon all I could think of was how much I wanted to come home. To this world that's full of evil things and where I'm the Slayer."

He smiled slightly. "How do you feel about that?"

She snorted softly. "I was pretty confused for a while. Until I finally got it through my thick head that it's being the Slayer and everything that I've experienced because of that that helps make me who I am. And you know what? I'm pretty happy being me. I have to tell you, it came as a bit of a shock."

"Does that mean that I can count on less complaining about training and more cooperation when I tell you about prophecies?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Nope." She grinned impudently. "Gotta maintain my image, you know. If I turned into a Kendra-clone Willow and Xander would be sure I'd been replaced by a pod person."

"I see your point."

She placed her hand on his arm and said simply, "But I wanted you to know that if I was given the choice of going back in time and not being the Slayer or leaving things as they are that I wouldn't change a thing. Well, except maybe meeting that Michelin-man-in-a-tub demon, Baldy-whatever. Watching his minions baste him is a visual I could happily live without." She stood up. "Guess I better get back to the studying."

Giles chuckled and walked her to the door. He reached out and touched her arm, causing her to glance back at him over her shoulder.

"I'm glad you told me, Buffy," he said quietly.

"Me too," she said with a smile.

Giles closed the door behind her and smiled.


End file.
